■■1 


? '  (^}  V**^*"^    '  ^~^ 


■*G#I?^ 


California 
giona] 


"7": 


*  Y   jfr^m:wmf&  a?  i 


Michigan 


CENTRAL 


"The  •  Niagara  •  Falls  •  Route." 

"There  never  yet  has  been,  accurately  speaking,"  said  the  Buffalo  Ex- 
press editorially,  in  February,  1884,  "a  Niagara  Falls  route  between  the 
East  and  the  "West.  But  at  last  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  Company 
has  opened  a  through  East  and  West  route  -which  is  honestly  a  Niagara 
Falls  route,  and  which  gives  the  tourist  full  and  leisurely  opportunities  to 
see  Niagara  Falls  without  once  leaving  his  seat.  By  the  new  route  the 
traveler  is  not  simply  given  a  distant  and  obscure  view  of  the  Falls.  He 
is  taken  down  the  river  on  the  New  York  side.  From  Buffalo  to  Tona- 
wanda  he  rides,  much  of  the  way,  along  the  river  bank,  and  can  study 
the  force  and  sweep  of  the  great  current.  Then,  as  he  rides  along,  he  has 
a  full  view  of  the  two  great  arms  of  the  river  that  encompass  Grand 
Island.  Just  before  he  reaches  Niagara  Falls  village  he  can  see  the  first 
break  of  the  river  into  the  upper  rapids.  He  crosses  the  stream  by  the 
new  canti-lever  bridge,  and  has  a  general  view  of  the  Falls  which  is  bet- 
ter than  that  heretofore  obtained  from  the  old  bridge,  because  it  is  a 
nearer  view.  Then  he  skirts  along  above  the  Canadian  bank  until  '  Falls 
View'  is  reached.  This  point  of  observation  has  heretofore  been  reached 
only  by  the  Niagara  City  branch  of  the  Canada  Southern.  It  has  not  been  on 
the  East  and  "West  route  at  all.  Now  all  through  trains  stop  at  '  Falls  View,' 
■which  is  really  one  of  the  finest  views  of  the  Falls  anywhere  to  be  had." 

In  fact,  the  claims  of  the  MICHIGAN  CENTRAL  upon  the  patronage 
of  the  traveling  public  are  numerous :  for  it  is  not  only  the  one  genuine 
Niagara  Falls  Route,  but  it  is  the  Creat  Highway  of  East  and  West 
Travel ;  the  only  line  from  Buffalo  and  Niagara  Falls  to  Chicago  under  a 
single  management ;  the  only  line  connecting  in  Union  Depots  at  Buffalo 
and  Niagara  Falls  (Suspension  Bridge)  with  the  great  four-track  New- 
York  Central  &  Hudson  River  Railroad ;  running  luxurious  Parlor  Cars 
and  Dining  Cars  on  Day  Trains,  and  Palace  Sleeping  Cars  on  Night  Trains, 
running  through  to  Chicago  -without  change  and  on  fast  time  from  New- 
York,  Boston,  Syracuse,  Buffalo,  Niagara  Falls  and  Toronto. 


.  R.  BUSENBARK, 

Eastern  Passenger  Agent, 
No.  57  Exchange  St.,       BUFFALO. 


0.  W.  RUGGLES, 

General  Passenger  &  Ticket  Agent, 
CHICAGO, 


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fllAGA^A   plAIiLS. 


A  View  of  the  Falls  from  Hurricane  Bridge. 


I^AND,  CQgHaLLY  §  (§0.'S 


ustnated    t[u 


de 


laaara     I     a  n  s 


? 


R 


Tremendous  torrent!  for  an  instant  hush 
The  terrors  of  thy  voice,  and  cast  aside 
Those  wide  involving  shadows,  that  my  eyes 
May  see  the  fearful  beauty  of  thy  face ! 
******* 
"Ah,  terribly  they  rage,— 
The  hoarse  and  rapid  whirlpools  there !    My  brain 
Grows  wild,  my  senses  wander,  as  I  gaze 
Upon  the  hurrying  waters ;  and  my  sight 
Vainly  would  follow,  as  toward  the  verge 
Sweeps  the  wide  torrent." 


WITH      MAPS      AND      DIAGRAMS. 


Chicago: 
RAND,   McNALLY  &  COMPANY. 

1885. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1884,  by  Rand,  McSTally  &  Co. 

in  the  Onice  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


i  a  a  a  r  a 


Descriptive. 

flOR  the  reason  that  the  task  of  describing  any  scene  in  nature 
is  difficult  in  proportion  to  its  rarity,  and  that  we  derive  our 
conception  of  the  same  from  the  comparison  it  will  bear 
with  other  works  of  nature,  and  for  the  further  reason  that 
Niagara  Falls  is  totally  unlike  any  other  scene  on  the  face  of  the 
earth,  it  is  a  most  onerous  task  to  produce  such  a  pen-picture  of 
the  Falls  as  can  convey  to  the  minds  of  readers  who  have  never 
seen  them  an  accurate  idea  of  their  grandeur.  Many  minds  have 
essayed  to  reproduce  Niagara  literally,  many  pens  have  recorded 
the  impression  of  visitors  respecting  it,  without  even  faintly 
describing  it ;  for  there  is  no  known  rhythm  whose  cadence  will 
attune  itself  to  the  tremendous  hymn  of  this  ' '  sound  as  of  many 
waters,"  neither  will  blank  verse  serve  to  rehearse  its  attributes 
in  song.  The  best  specimen  of  the  latter  was  written  by  a  gifted 
poet,  who  visited  this  locality  especially  to  set  forth  its  beauties  in 
verse,  but  who  recorded  only  the  following  words : 

"I  came  to  see! 
I  thought  to  write! 
I  am  but  dumb!'1'' 

There  is  but  one  way  to  record  poetically  the  fascinations  of 
Niagara;  that  is,  to  tell  its  glories  in  that  plain  language  which  is 
the  Creator's  greatest  gift  to  man,  and  to  describe  it  as  a  part  of 
that  stupendous  and  eternal  poem,  whose  strophes  and  lines  are 
the  rivers,  mountains,  glens,  caves  and  rainbows  of  the  universe; 
for  of  Nature,  in  its  grandest  and  most  varied  forms,  Niagara  is  a 
condensation  and  exemplification. 


6  NIAGARA  FALLS. 

Above  the  Falls,  Niagara  lias,  in  her  rapids,  examples  of  many 
of  the  most  remarkable  combinations  of  Nature's  work;  and  those 
who  visit  here  can  experience  all  the  pleasure  of  the  mariner,  in 
standing  on  the  Goat  Island  Bridge,  knowing  that  an  almost  irre- 
sistible billowy  force  is  fighting  against  that  structure,  situated  at 
the  very  edge  of  the  gulf  into  which  the  river  pours,  and  that 
they  are  still  as  safe  as  they  could  be  on  terra  firma.  It  is  a  feel- 
ing that  could  not  be  reproduced  in  any  other  situation.  One 
seems,  when  stationed  at  this  point  and  looking  beneath  him,  to 
be  on  the  verge  of  eternity  ;  should  the  bridge  give  way,  he 
would  in  a  few  moments  be  carried  over  the  cliff,  and  lost!  Yet 
the  stability  of  the  bridge  removes  all  sense  of  danger,  and  com- 
pels confidence  even  in  the  presence  of  the  dread  power  of  the 
current. 

If  it  is  possible  to  imagine  that  the  entire  country  of  England 
and  Scotland  could  be  turned  into  one  grand  receptacle  for  five 
Inland  Seas,  such  as  the  lakes  which  here  unite  in  giving  their 
waters  to  form  the  Niagara  above  the  Falls;  and  if,  further,  it  can 
be  conceived  that  the  peaks  of  the  Alps  and  the  Apennines  were 
located  at  the  Hebrides,  so  as  to  contribute  their  melting  snows  to 
this  conflux  of  waters,  and  if  it  be  assumed  that  the  Dover  Straits 
could  be  made  such  a  river,  to  traverse  the  extreme  heights  above 
the  Downs,  and  to  pour  its  waters  in  two  grand  cascades  over  the 
cliffs  of  Beachy  Head,  an  idea  of  the  Falls  proper  would  be  pre- 
sented to  European  readers. 

Iceland  has  splendid  geysers,  sending  up  heavy  ciouds  of  vapors 
from  its  boiling  springs  surrounded  by  ice.  The  Matterhorn  has 
its  magnificent  " Arc-en-ciel"  which  vies  with  the  finest  rainbows 
in  splendor;  and,  from  the  summits  of  the  Alps,  one  can  look 
down  upon  the  tops  of  trees  which,  from  below,  are  of  dizzy 
altitude.  Here  all  these  and  other  yet  more  remarkable  effects  are 
brought  together  at  one  point.  England  on  the  south  coast  and 
France  on  her  north  coast  are  both  proud  of  their  splendid  beet- 
ling cliffs,  between  which  rolls  the  majestic  current  of  the  English 
Channel. 

On  the  Niagara,  similar  but  more  imposing  cliffs  are  brought 
together  in  near  proximity,  and  form  the  boundaries  of  a  river 
which,  receiving  its  waters  from  the  Cataract,  concentrate  their 


NIAGARA   FALLS.  7 

mighty  force  into  a  turbulent  flood,  upon  which  one  can  not  look 
without  allowing  the  mind  to  compare  it  with  the  Styx  of  the 
ancients.  And  yet  this  avalanche  of  power  meets  with  an  effect- 
ual stop  in  its  career  at  the  "  Whirlpool,"  where  its  course  is 
violently  turned  aside  at  an  angle  of  ninety  degrees,  thus  forming 
a  veritable  maelstrom,  such  as  can  not  be  found  in  any  other  portion 
of  the  globe  for  strength  of  current  and  obstinacy  of  opposing 
forces.  Thus  it  would  appear  that  nature  had  exhausted  her  re- 
sources in  placing  at  this  point,  between  two  countries,  a  dividing 
line  which  deserved  to  be  regarded  as  impassable.  Further,  that 
she  reversed  the  usual  order  of  her  works  to  command  the  rever- 
ence and  awe  of  humanity.  Taking  her  fair  coronet  of  rainbows 
from  the  skies,  she  set  it  in  the  midst  of  a  river-fall  ;  planting  her 
high  trees  at  the  base  of  the  cliffs,  she  caused  their  summits  to  be 
viewed  from  above  ;  providing  an  almost  inconceivable  aval.mche 
of  waters,  she  allows  them  to  be  observed  from  below,  as  if  pour- 
ing from  the  clouds;  and  in  the  coldest  seasons,  without  the  aid  of 
heat,  a  mighty  cloud  of  vapor  rises,  and,  condensing  in  the  form 
of  ice  on  all  the  surrounding  scenery,  forms  a  fairyland  of  scenic 
effect  which  is  as  weird  and  strange  in  its  conception  as  the  works 
of  enchantment.  Yet  the  mind  of  man  has  refused  to  be  subdued 
by  the  grandeur  here  displayed,  and  has  calmly  proceeded  to 
utilize  the  very  edges  of  the  cliffs  for  the  purpose  of  suspending 
bridges  to  act  as  connecting  links  between  the  two  countries  which 
the  river  seems  solely  intended  to  separate;  and  across  them  the 
iron  horse  deliberately  conveys  the  products  of  human  industry 
to  and  from  each  land ! 

There  is  no  point  on  the  earth's  surface  from  which  an  entire 
idea  of  human  existence  can  be  more  adequately  conceived  than 
from  the  centre  of  the  Railroad  Suspension  Bridge,  which  in  the 
distance  appears  as  a  mere  web  between  the  two  cliffs,  although 
solid  and  substantial  as  man's  ingenuity  can  make  it.  There,  sus- 
pended in  mid-air,  between  precipices  enclosing  a  terrifying  chasm, 
through  which  rushes  the  mighty  flood,  it  is  impossible  to  stand 
without  experiencing  that  feeling  of  enthusiasm  connected  with 
the  assumption  that  the  creation  contains  no  power  too  great  for 
human  control.  Yet,  when  the  heavily  laden  freight  trains  cause 
the  fabric  to  tremble,  the  possibility  of  the  breaking  of  the  bridge 
seems  so  near,  and  total  destruction  in  that  event  so  certain,  that 


NIAGARA    FALLS.  a 

the  feeling  of  exultation  is  necessarily  allied  with  that  of  fear,  re- 
calling the  idea  of  standing  face  to  face  with  eternity.  This, 
briefly  and  tersely,  is  the  locale  of  Niagara,  which  is  at  once  a  vil- 
lage and  a  city,  for  the  reason  that  it  contains  such  grand  and 
interesting  scenery,  as  well  as  splendid  manufacturing  establish- 
ments and  triumphs  of  human  skill,  although  it  has  not  more  than 
4,000  inhabitants. 

A  proposition  has  sometimes  been  made  to  convert  this  place 
into  a  park,  to  the  exclusion  of  manufactories.  It  is  probable, 
however,  that  the  various  industries  of  the  future  will  be  able  to 
draw  all  the  power  required  from  the  river  above  the  Falls,  with- 
out in  any  way  marring  the  scenery  of  the  latter;  and  that,  while 
in  the  years  to  come  this  village  may  grow  to  be  a  city,  teeming 
with  life  and  activity,  its  value  as  a  health  resort  will  be  in  no 
wise  abated. 


<£>HE  HAME  "Hiagai^a." 

The  word  Niagara  is  a  household  word  all  over  the  world.  It 
is  applied  only  to  the  locality,  and  is  to-day  the  synonym  for  the 
ideal  waterfall.  It  is  of  Indian  origin,  for  the  Indians  once  inhab- 
ited all  this  country,  and  much  of  the  nomenclature  of  Western 
New  York  is  traceable  directly  to  them.  Niagara  is  supposed  to 
be  borrowed  from  the  language  of  the  Iroquois,  and  means  ' '  The 
Thunderer  of  the  Waters."  It  was  the  name  of  a  tribe,  for  it  was 
an  Indian  custom  to  call  their  tribes  from  the  most  important 
natural  feature  of  the  country  they  inhabited,  or  to  give  the  tribal 
name  to  such  feature.  Thus  the  names  of  the  Onondagas,  Hurons, 
Cayugas,  Senecas  and  Oneidas,  are  each  kept  alive  by  the  name  of 
a  river  and  a  lake;  while  the  Mohawk  river  recalls  to  mind  the 
greatest  warrior  tribe  of  all,  and  in  Lake  Erie  the  name  of  one  of 
the  weaker  tribes  is  ever  present.  The  river  and  the  Falls  were 
the  chief  features  of  the  Niagaras'  country,  and  their  chief  village 
bore  the  same  name. 

The  Hurons  dwelt  north  of  this  section,  and  the  Iroquois  south 
of  it.  So  the  Niagaras,  dwelling  between  the  two,  and  at  peace 
with  each,  came  to  be  called  the  Neuter  Nation,  in  whose  wigwams 
the  warriors  of  these  two  tribes  met  in  peace. 


10  NIAGARA   FALLS. 

Niagara  is  said  to  be  one  of  forty  known  ways  of  spelling  the 
name,  Ongniaarhra,  Nicariagas,  Ongiara,  On}Takara,  being  the 
more  common  forms  met  with  in  old  traditions. 

The  Neuter  Nation  was  also  called  Attouanderonks  by  other 
tribes,  that  is,  a  people  speaking  a  little  different  language  ;  for 
their  dialect  was  different  from  that  of  any  other  tribe,  though 
partially  understood  by  all.  Both  these  names,  as  well  as  Niagaras 
and  Kah-Kwas,  were  used  so  as  to  distinguish  their  location. 

The  Neuter  Nation  was  destroyed  or  absorbed  by  the  more 
powerful  Iroquois  about  1650,  permanent  neutrality  being  an 
untenable  ground.     The  Senecas  then  occupied  their  lands. 

Almost  a  hundred  years  after  this,  a  small  remnant  gathered 
together  and  went  back  to  the  famous  home  of  their  fathers,  but 
they  lived  there  only  a  few  years  and,  dying  off,  left  no  descend- 
ants to  perpetuate  their  tribe. 

F^ISJUO^IGAIj. 

The  historical  associations  that  are  connected  with  this  section  of 
the  country,  and  with  this  famous  river,  are  numberless.  From 
the  earliest  days  of  the  red  men's  rule,  through  the  long  French 
and  English  wars  to  the  closing  of  our  own  war  of  1812,  its  bor- 
ders have  been  the  scene  of  many  bloody  conflicts  and  of  countless 
deeds  of  strategy  and  heroism. 

A  line  of  forts,  at  first  only  palisades,  but  gradually  strength- 
ened into  permanent  forts,  extended  all  along  the  river.  Forts 
Erie,  Niagara  and  Mississaga  on  the  Canadian,  and  Forts  Porter, 
Du  Portage,  Schlosser,  Little  Niagara,  Grey  and  Niagara  on  the 
American  side,  are  but  links  in  the  great  chain  of  defenses  erected 
at  various  times  along  the  frontier. 

Frequent  contests  were  carried  on  between  the  French  and 
English,  each  one  assisted  by  faithful  Indian  allies,  and  the  results 
were  both  bloody  and  destructive,  as  neither  party,  even  were  it 
so  disposed,  could  always  repress  the  Indian  nature,  as  shown  in 
the  determination  to  burn  and  scalp  after  a  battle. 

This  contest  between  French  and  English  in  America  was  car- 
ried on  for  over  a  hundred  years,  and  finally  ceased  in  1763,  wrhen 
the  French  rule  in  North  America  was  wiped  out.  It  virtually 
ceased  in  1759,  after  the  capture  of  Quebec  by  Gen.  Wolfe. 


NIAGARA   FALLS.  11 

After  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  this  section  saw  a  few 
years  of  comparative  quiet,  and  the  settlement  of  "Western  New 
York  prospered.  The  defense  of  this  boundary  was  also  consid- 
ered, though  the  next  war  saw  the  British  in  possession,  at  one 
time,  of  the  entire  American  bank  of  the  Niagara. 

The  declaration  of  the  war  of  1812  threw  this  section  into  a 
ferment.  Buffalo  and  Fort  Niagara  were  the  American  strong- 
holds, Fort  Erie  and  Queenston  Heights  those  of  the  British. 

August  11,  1812,  Gen.  Van  Rensselaer,  of  the  New  York  militia, 
established  headquarters  at  Lewiston.  October  15,  he  crossed  the 
river  and  captured  Queenston  Heights.  Soon  after,  Gen.  Brock 
arrived  and  attacked  him.  Brock  was  killed  in  the  engagement. 
Another  re-enforcement  of  British  soon  arrived,  and  as  Van  Rens- 
selaer's volunteers  on  the  American  side  proved  to  be  cowards, 
and  refused  to  cross  to  aid  their  comrades,  these  gallant  fellows 
were  totally  defeated  in  sight  of  their  comrades.  This  was  the 
chief  event  of  the  year  1812  on  the  frontier. 

Late  in  the  year  1813,  Gen.  McClure  crossed  from  Fort  Niagara 
and  destroyed  the  Canadian  town  of  Newark,  but,  thinking  Fort 
Niagara  secure,  he  returned  to  Buffalo.  Col.  Murray,  of  the  Eng- 
lish, surprised  Fort  Niagara  and  captured  it,  December  19,  1813. 
Then  the  people  were  terror-stricken,  and  fled  for  their  lives.  The 
Indians,  the  old  allies  of  the  English,  were  drawn  to  their  stand- 
ard, and  scoured  the  country.  The  British  captured  and  burned 
Lewiston,  Niagara  Falls  and  the  Tuscarora  village,  between  De- 
cember 20  and  29,  and  Buffalo  December  30. 

Early  in  1814,  Gen.  Brown  took  command,  and  with  him  were 
Scott,  Gaines,  Porter,  Miller,  and  others.  Then  the  campaign  was 
pushed  with  zeal  and  energy.  Then  followed  victories,  Chippewa, 
Lundy's  Lane,  the  famous  sortie  from  Fort  Erie,  and  the  total  de- 
feat of  the  British,  and  soon  after  these,  peace,  resulting  for  the 
Americans,  according  to  Lord  Beaconsfield's  famous  aphorism,  in 
"  Peace  with  Honor." 

Of  many  of  these  points  of  historical  interest  and  of  the  events 
which  happened  there,  we  shall,  later  on,  give  a  more  detailed  de- 
scription, and  shall  also  give  many  facts  and  figures  in  relation  to 
the  river  itself,  which  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  elsewhere. 


12  NIAGARA   FALLS. 


Geological. 

"Within  the  memory  of  men  now  living,  the  Falls  have  receded 
100  feet.  This  naturally  prompts  the  question,  Where  did  the 
retrocession  begin?  Geologists  tell  us,  and  their  answer  is  accepted 
as  conclusive,  at  the  mountain  near  Lewiston.  The  whole  waters 
of  the  lakes  there  foamed  over  this  dam,  which  was  several  miles 
in  width.  This  accounts  for  the  shells,  etc. ,  which  have  been 
found  on  Goat  Island,  it  having  been  submerged;  also  for  the  shells 
found  on  the  land  along  the  river  up  stream — shells  which  enabled 
Lyell,  Hall  and  others  to  prove  that  the  Niagara  once  flowed 
through  a  shallow  valley. 

That  it  cut  the  Gorge  is,  geologically,  equally  decided.  There  is 
no  better  place  to  study  geology  and  the  strata  of  rocks  than  this 
Gorge  that  Niagara  has  cut.     Mr.  Allen,  in  his  Guide  Book,  says: 

"Not  only  has  the  Niagara  river  cut  the  Gorge;  it  has  carried 
away  the  chips  of  its  own  workshop.  The  slate  being  probably 
crumbled,  is  easily  carried  away.  But  at  the  base  of  the  Fall  we 
find  large  boulders,  and  by  some  means  or  other  they  were  re- 
moved down  the  river. 

' '  The  ice  which  fills  the  Gorge  in  winter,  and  which  grapples 
with  the  boulders,  has  been  regarded  as  the  transporting  agent. 
Probably  it  is  so  to  some  extent.  But  erosion  acts  without  ceas- 
ing on  the  abutting  points  of  the  boulders,  thus  withdrawing  their 
support  and  urging  them  down  the  river.  Solution  also  does  its 
portion  of  the  work.  That  solid  matter  is  carried  down  is  proved 
by  the  difference  of  depth  between  the  Niagara  river  and  Lake 
Ontario,  where  the  river  enters.  The  depth  falls  from  seventy- 
two  feet  to  twenty  feet,  in  consequence  of  the  deposition  of  solid 
matter  caused  by  the  diminished  motion  of  the  river.  Near  the 
mouth  of  the  Gorge  at  Queenston,  the  depth,  according  to  the 
Canadian  Admiralty  Chart,  is  180  feet,  while  within  the  Gorge  it 
is  132  feet, 

' '  We  may  add  a  word  regarding  the  proximate  future  of  Niag- 
ara. At  the  rate  of  excavation  assigned  to  it  by  Sir  Charles  Lyell, 
namely,  a  foot  a  year,  5,000  years  or  so  will  carry  the  Horseshoe 
Fall  far  higher  than  Goat  Island.  As  the  Gorge  recedes,  it  will 
drain,  as  it  has  hitherto  done,  the  banks  right  and  left  of  it,  thus 
leaving  nearly  a  level  terrace  between  Goat  Island  and  the  edge  of 
the  Gorge.  Higher  up  it  will  totally  drain -the  American  branch 
of  the  river,  the  channel  of  which  will  in  due  time  become  culti- 
vatable  land.  The  American  Fall  will  then  be  transformed  into  a 
dry  precipice,  forming  a  simple  continuation  of  the  cliffy  boundary 
of  the  Niagara,     At  the  place  occupied  by  the  Fall  at  this  moment 


NIAGARA   FALLS.  13 

we  shall  have  the  Gorge  enclosing  a  right  angle,  a  second  whirl- 
pool being  the  consequence  of  this.  To  those  who  visit  Niagara  a 
few  millenniums  hence,  I  leave  the  verification  of  this  prediction." 

Various  authorities  put  the  recession  at  from  one  inch  to  one 
foot  a  year.     "  When  doctors  disagree,"  etc. 

There  is  some  gradual  wearing  away  of  the  soft  limestone,  vary- 
ing with  the  volume  of  water,  but  eveiy  spring  the  frost  and 
elements  accomplish  a  year's  work  by  breaking  off  some  large 
pieces,  tons  in  weight.  Thus  the  deeper  water,  swifter  current 
and  greater  weight  and  force  of  the  Horseshoe  Fall  cuts  the  rock 
away  faster  than  the  shallower  waters  of  the  American  Fall  do. 
Alien  says  : 

"All  the  phenomena  point  distinctly  to  the  centre  of  the  river 
as  the  place  of  the  greatest  mechanical  energy,  and  from  the  centre 
the  vigor  of  the  Fall  gradually  dies  away  toward  the  sides.  The 
horseshoe  form,  with  the  concavity  facing  downward,  is  an  obvi- 
ous and  necessary  consequence  of  this  action.  Right  along  the 
middle  of  the  river,  the  apex  of  the  curve  pushes  "its  way  back- 
ward, cutting  along  the  centre  a  deep  and  comparatively  narrow 
groove,  and  draining  the  sides  as  it  passes  them." 

Prof.  James  Hall,  in  his  Geology  of  the  Fourth  District  of  New 
York  State,  suggests  the  possibility  of  there  having  been  three 
separate  falls,  one  above  the  other,  when  the  Falls  first  began  to 
recede.  The  face  of  the  Gorge  from  the  Falls  to  Lewiston  and 
along  the  ridge,  shows  us  exactly  through  what  kind  of  rocks  the 
Gorge  was  cut.     Prof.  Hall  gives  these  as  the  strata  of  the  rocks  : 

1.  Niagara  limestone. 

2.  Soft  shale. 

8.  ( ompact  gray  limestone. 

4.  Shale. 

5.  Sandstone,  constituting,  with  Nos.  6,  7  and  8,  the  Medina 
group. 

0    Shale  and  marl. 

7.  Quartz  sandstone. 

8.  Ked  sandstone. 

In  his  work  on  Niagara,  Holley  thus  explains  the  progress  of 

Niag: 

"  Before  reaching  the  Whirlpool,  the  mass  becomes,  practically, 

v  ed  into  numbers  three,  four  and  five:  the  limestone,  as  a 

genera!  rule,  growing  thicker  and  harder,  and  the  shale  also,  as  we 

up  the  stream. 

"  The  reason  why  retrocession  of  the  Fall  is  possible,  is  found 


14  NIAGARA  FALLS. 

in  the  occurrence  of  the  shale  noted  above  as  underlying  the  rock. 
It  is  a  species  of  indurated  clay,  harder  and  softer,  according  to 
the  pressure  to  which  it  may  have  been  subjected.  When  pro- 
tected from  the  action  of  the  elements,  it  retains  its  hardness,  but 
when  exposed  to  them,  it  gradually  softens  and  crumbles  away. 
After  a  time  the  superstratum  of  rock,  which  is  full  of  cracks  and 
seams,  is  undermined  and  precipitated  into  the  chasm  below.  If 
the  stratum  of  shale  lies  at  or  near  the  bottom  of  the  channel 
below  the  Fall,  it  will  be  measurably  protected  from  the  action  of 
the  elements.  In  this  case,  retrocession  will  necessarily  be  very 
gradual.  If  above  the  Fall  the  shale  projects  upward  'from  the 
channel  below,  then  in  proportion  to  the  elevation  and  thickness  of 
its  stratum  will  be  the  ease  and  rapidity  of  disintegration  and 
retrocession.  It  results,  therefore,  that  the  shale  furnishes  a  very 
good  standard  by  which  to  determine  the  comparative  rapidity 
with  which  retrocession  has  been  accomplished  at  different 
points. 

"From  the  base  of  the  escarpment  at  Lewiston,  up  the  narrow 
bend  in  the  channel  above  the  Devil's  Hole,  a  distance  of  four  and 
a  quarter  miles,  the  shale  varies  in  thickness  above  the  water  from 
one  hundred  and  thirty  feet  at  the  commencement  of  the  Gorge  to 
one  hundred  and  ten  feet  at  the  extremity  of  the  bend.  Although 
there  is  very  little  upward  curve  in  the  limestone  here,  yet 
there  is  a  decided  curve  upward  in  the  Medina  group,  noticed 
above,  composed  mainly  of  a  hard,  red  sandstone.  It  projects 
across  the  chasm,  and  also  extends  upward  to  near  the  neck  of  the 
Whirlpool,  where  it  dips  suddenly  downward.  The  two  strata  of 
shale  becoming  apparently  united,  follow  its  dip  and  also  extend 
upward,  until  they  reach  the  maximum  elevation  near  the  middle 
of  the  Whirlpool.  Thence  the  shale  gradually  dips  again  to  the 
Railway  Suspension  Bridge,  three-quarters  of  a  mile  above.  For 
the  remaining  one  and  a  half  miles  from  this  bridge  to  the  present 
site  of  the  Falls,  the  dip  is  downward  to  the  new  Suspension 
Bridge,  where  it  rises  again  and  passes  under  the  Falls  to  Table 
Rock." 

We  do  not  know  when  white  men  first  visited  Niagara,  though 
after  the  discovery  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  in  1534,  any  of  the  traders 
and  adventurers  who  sought  this  region  may  have  done  so  at  any 
time. 

Jacques  Cartier,  in  his  description  of  his  second  voyage,  1536, 
speaks  of  a  cataract,  but  he  never  saw  it.  Samuel  Champlain,  in 
a  book  of  his  voyages,  published  in  1613,  indicates  a  waterfall  on 
a  map. 

In  1648,  the  Jesuit  Father,  Ragueneau,  in  a  letter,  speaks  of  the 
cataract,  and  locates  it  very  correctly;  and  on  Sanson's  Map  of 
Canada,  1657,  it  is  indicated. 


NIAGARA  FALLS.  15 

Du  Creux,  in  1660,  in  a  work,  "  Historic  Canadensis,"  indicated 
Niagara  on  a  map,  but  lie  did  not  describe  the  Falls,  and  it  is 
doubted  if  lie  ever  saw  them. 

The  first  description  that  we  have  is  that  of  Father  Hennepin, 
published  in  1678,  of  which  we  here  quote  a  part : 

"CHAP.  VII. 

"A  description  of  the  Fall  of  the  Hirer  Niagara,  which  is  to  be  seen 
betwixt  the  Lake  Ontario  and  that  of  Erie. 

"Detwixt  the  Lake  Ontario  and  Erie,  there  is  a  vast  and  prodig- 

ious  Cadence  of  Water,  which  falls  down  after  a  surprizing 
and  astonishing  manner,  insomuch  that  the  Universe  does  not 
afford  its  Parallel.  Tis  true,  Italy  and  Suedeland  boast  of  some 
such  Things  ;  but  we  may  well  say  they  are  but  sorry  patterns, 
when  compar'd  to  this  of  which  we  now  speak.  At  the  foot  of 
this  horrible  Precipice,  we  meet  with  the  River  Niagara,  which  is 
not  above  a  quarter  of  a  League  broad,  but  is  wonderfully  deep 
in  some  places.  It  is  so  rapid  above  this  Descent,  that  it  violently 
hurries  down  the  wild  Beasts  while  endeavoring  to  pass  it  to  feed 
on  the  other  side,  they  not  being  able  to  withstand  the  force  of  its 
Current,  which  enevitably  casts  them  headlong  above  Six  hundred 
foot  high. 

"  This  wonderful  Downfall  is  compounded  of  two  cross-streams 
of  Water,  and  two  Falls,  with  an  isle  sloping  along  the  middle  of 
it.  The  Waters  which  fall  from  this  horrible  Precipice,  do  foam 
and  boyl  after  the  most  hideous  manner  imaginable,  making  an 
outrageous  Noise,  more  terrible  than  that  of  Thunder;  for  when 
the  Wind  blows  out  of  the  South,  their  dismal  roaring  may  be 
heard  more  than  Fifteen  Leagues  off. 

"  The  River  Niagara  having  thrown  it  self  down  this  incredible 
Precipice,  continues  its  impetuous  course  for  two  Leagues  to- 
gether, to  the  great  Rock  above  mention'd,  with  an  inexpressible 
rapidity:  But  having  passed  that,  its  impetuosity  relents,  gliding 
along  more  gently  for  other  two  Leagues,  till  it  arrives  at  the 
Lake  Ontario  or  Frontenac. 

"  Any  Bark  or  greater  Vessel  may  pass  from  the  Fort  to  the  foot 
of  this  huge  Rock  above  mention'd.  This  Rock  lies  to  the  West- 
ward, and  is  cut  off  from  the  Land  by  the  River  Niagara,  about 
two  Leagues  further  down  than  the  great  Fall,  for  which  two 
Leagues  the  People  are  oblig'd  to  transport  their  goods  overland; 
but  the  way  is  very  good  ;  and  the  Trees  are  very  few,  chiefly 
Firrs  and  Oaks. 

"From  the  great  Fall  unto  this  Rock,  which  is  to  the  West  of 
the  River,  the  two  brinks  of  it  are  so  prodigious  high.,  that  it 


16  NIAGARA   FALLS. 

would  make  one  tremble  to  look  steadily  upon  the  Water,  rolling 
along-  with  a  rapidity  not  to  be  imagin'd.  Were  it  not  for  this  vast 
Cataract,  which  interrupts  Navigation,  they  might  sail  with  Barks, 
or  greater  Vessels,  more  than  Four  hundred  and  fifty  Leagues, 
crossing  the  Lake  of  Hurons,  and  reaching  even  to  the  farther  end 
of  the  Lake  Illinois,  which  two  Lakes  we  may  easily  say  are  little 
Seas  of  freshWater." 

The  Rock  above  mentioned  was  a  huge  boulder,  or  mass,  that  was 
found  on  the  river  bank  near  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  and  just 
the  village  of  Lewiston. 

Hennepin  was  the  priest  and  historian  who  accompanied  Chev- 
alier Robert  de  La  Salle.  This  leader  ascended  the  St.  Lawrence, 
built  a  trading  post  at  Fort  Niagara,  visited  the  Falls,  and  built  in 
Cayuga  Creek,  on  the  American  side,  five  miles  above  the  Falls, 
the  Griffin,  60  tons  burden.  August  7,  1679,  she  set  sail,  the  first 
vessel  that  ever  floated  on  the  Upper  Lakes.  She  crossed  Lake 
Huron,  but  on  the  return  foundered  with  all  on  board. 


©HE    HlAGA^A   I^IYEI^. 

The  Niagara  river,  one  of  the  shortest,  but  one  of  the  most 
famous  rivers  in  the  world,  is  a  part  of  the  system  by  which  the 
waters  of  the  Great  Lakes  are  carried  to  the  ocean.  Its  en*  ire 
length  is  only  36  miles — 22  miles  from  Lake  Erie  to  the  Falls,  and 
14  miles  from  the  Falls  to  Lake  Ontario. 

The  Niagara  river  is  merely  one  link  in  the  chain  which  con- 
ducts the  waters  of  Lake  Superior  to  the  Atlantic.  It  is  called 
the  Niagara  river  between  the  two  lakes,  Erie  and  Ontario. 
When  it  leaves  Lake  Ontario,  it  is  the  River  St.  Lawrence,  which 
is  700  miles  long,  and  falls  into  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence. 

It  is  part  of  the  boundary  line  between  the  United  States  and 
Canada,  so  decreed  by  the  treaty  of  Ghent,  in  1815.  By  that 
treaty,  the  boundary  line  runs  through  the  centre  of  the  Great 
Lakes,  and  through  the  deepest  channels  of  the  rivers.  By  this 
means,  over  three-fourths  of  the  islands  in  the  river,  including  all 
the  important  ones  but  one,  belong  to  the  United  States.  Of  these 
islands,  there  are  in  all  36,  of  which  Grand  Island  is  the  largest, 
and  Goat  Island  the  most  famous. 

In  its  course,  the  river  falls  836  feet,  as  follows:  From  Lake  Erie 
to  the  Rapids  above  the  Falls,  15  feet;  in  the  Rapids,  55  feet;  at 


Below  Tidewater, 


I 


ii«S88 


Below  Tidewater ; 


5elo.w "Tidewater,  AlYil'l'1,1  l'l| 
420  feet.         (Jjl,   |j|,  1 |j| L, 

W!illi!!!i!i;!!l!!'! 




iWi'n 


Ab...vc  Tid 


_ 


Above  TiHewate 


LaJce  Superior, 

1,030  feet  deep. 

Sault  St. Marie. 
Xdke  2Licliigan , 

1,000  feet  deep. 


Xalie  Huron  j 

1,000  feet  deep. 


Below  Tidewater, 
263  feet. 


^bov«  Tidewater,^       JLalie  St.  Clair } 
20  feet  deep. 

Lalie  Erie, 

34  feet  deep. 

Niagara  River < 

33C  feet. 

Take,  Ontario, 

500  feet  deep. 
Above  Tidewater, 
532  feet. 


Tidewater, 


DIAGRAM 

SHOWING 

ELEVATIONS  ABOVE  TrDEWATER. 

Hand',  MeNally  <&  Co-.,  Engr's,  Chicago. 


1? 


18  NIAGARA  FALLS. 

the  Falls,  161  feet;  from  the  Falls  to  Lewiston,  98  feet;   from- 
Lewiston  to  Lake  Ontario,  7  feet. 

Its  sources  are:  Lake  Superior,  the  largest  body  of  fresh  water 
in  the  world,  355  miles  long,  160  miles  wide,  1,030  feet  deep;. 
Lake  Huron,  260  miles  long,  100  miles  wide,  1,000  feet  deep; 
Lake  Michigan,  320  miles  long,  70  miles  wide,  1,000  feet  deep ; 
Lake  St.  Clair,  49  miles  long,  15  miles  wide,  20  feet  deep;  Lake 
Erie,  290  miles  long,  65  miles  wide,  84  feet  deep. 

Several  smaller  lakes,  with  one  hundred  rivers,  large  and  small, 
pour  their  waters  this  way,  draining  a  country  of  more  than  one 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  square  miles.  This  is  the  drainage 
of  almost  half  a  continent,  and  whose  remotest  springs  are  2,000 
miles  from  the  ocean. 

TVith  such  a  supply,  it  is  not  surprising  that  the  volume  of  the 
Niagara  river  is  never  noticeably  diminished. 

Through  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  more  fresh  water  pours 
into  the  ocean  than  through  the  mouth,  probably,  of  any  one 
river  in  the  world. 

The  river,  over  the  American  Fall,  falls  159  feet,  and  over  the 
Canadian,  165,  the  difference  being  caused  by  the  greater  accu- 
mulation of  rock  at  the  base  of  the  former. 

The  Niagara  is  never  frozen  over,  but  it  accumulates  more  ice 
than  any  other  river  in  the  world. 

From  records  kept,  a  rise  in  height  of  water  of  one  foot  at  top 
of  Falls  will,  by  actual  measurement,  raise  it  173^  feet  below. 

The  river,  within  four  or  five  miles  of  the  Falls,  contains  some 
of  the  best  fishing  grounds  to  be  found  anywhere. 

On  the  surface  below  the  Falls,  the  current,  when  the  water  is 
smooth,  runs  on  an  average  about  6  or  7  miles  per  hour.  Sailors 
say,  about  30  or  40  feet  deep,  it  runs  at  least  10  or  12  knots.  And 
this  is  the  reason,  we  think,  why  saw-logs  and  other  bodies  plung- 
ing over  the  Horseshoe  Fall  are  not  seen  until  they  come  up  at  the 
Whirlpool,  a  distance  of  3  miles. 

There  is  a  tradition  that  there  is  a  periodical  rise  and  fall  in 
the  level  of  the  Lakes,  embracing  a  period  of  14  years.  In  1843, 
1857  and  1871  the  Niagara  river  was  very  low. 

March  29,  1843,  a  heavy  gale  from  the  west  caused  the  highest 
water  ever  known.  The  water  rose  6  feet  perpendicularly  on  the 
Rapids. 


Scde    of  Statute    Miles, 

0  5 


Map  of  Niagara  River. 
19 


20  NIAGARA   FALLS. 

On  March  29, 1848,  a  strong  east  wind  drove  the  water  back  into 
Lake  Erie.  The  heavy  ice  was  wedged  in  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river.  This  jammed  the  water  up,  and  soon  the  river  was  nearly 
dry.  The  rocks  under  the  Rapids  were  bare,  and  people  walked 
and  drove  over  them.  The  Falls,  of  course,  shrank  to  a  mere 
nothing  The  next  morning,  the  ice  was  forced  out,  and  Niagara 
resumed  its  sway,  but  the  sights  and  the  experiences  of  that  day 
were  novel  ones. 

The  average  depth  of  the  river  from  Lake  Erie  to  the  Falls  is 
about  20  feet.  In  some  places  it  is  over  2  miles  wide.  At  the 
narrowest  point,  near  the  Whirlpool,  the  current  is  above  40  miles 
per  hour,  and  at  the  widest  part,  about  4  miles  per  hour. 

Between  the  Falls  and  the  Whirlpool,  the  depth  varies  from  75 
to  200  feet,  At  the  Whirlpool  Rapids,  it  is  estimated  at  250 
feet;  in  the  Whirlpool,  at  400.  But  it  should  be  recalled  that  this 
is  the  depth  of  the  water  alone.  The  mass  of  stone,  gravel, 
shale,  etc. ,  which  in  one  way  and  another  has  been  carried  into 
the  channel,  lies  below  the  water  and  above  the  original  bottom 
of  the  Gorge,  which,  therefore,  is  probably  as  deep  again.  Va- 
rious estimates  have  been  given  of  the  amount  of  water  going 
over  the  Falls.  A  point  300  feet  wide  below  the  Falls  being 
selected,  the  depth  estimated,  and  the  velocity  of  the  current 
known,  it  was  estimated  that  1,500,000,000  cubic  feet  passed  that 
point  every  minute. 

Another  estimate  says  that  100,000,000  tons  pass  through  the 
Whirlpool  every  hour. 

Judge  DeVeaux  estimated  that  5,000,000,000  barrels  go  over 
every  24  hours;  211,836,853  barrels  an  hour;  3,536,614  barrels  a 
minute;  58,343  barrels  each  second. 

HlAGAI^A  FALLS. 

The  Falls  are  in  latitude  43°  6'  north;  longitude  2°  5'  west 
from  Washington,  or  79°  5'  west  from  Greenwich. 

The  Horseshoe  Fall  has  an  aggregate  length  of  over  2,000  feet; 
the  American  Fall,  about  800  feet. 

Hennepin  speaks  of  three  Falls,  the  third  formed  by  the  huge 
masses  of  rock  situated  where  Table  Rock  stood.  These  rocks 
were  of  great  extent,  and,  the  water  being  obliged  to  flow  around 


NIAGARA  FALLS.  21 

them,  formed  the  third  Fall,  and  this  Fall  fell  inward  and  at  right 
angles  to  the  present  Fall.  Seventy  years  later,  1751,  this  third 
Fall  had  disappeared,  though  still  told  about  by  the  Indians.  The 
reason  was  because  the  big  rock  had  been  crumbled  away,  and 
the  channel  of  the  big,  or  centre  Fall,  had  been  cut  deeper,  thus 
draining  this  higher  channel. 

Some  one  once  suggested  that  when  you  are  opposite  the  Falls, 
especially  in  the  Gorge,  lie  down  fiat  on  your  back,  your  head 
toward  the  Falls,  and  look  at  them  over  your  head  from  that  po- 
sition.    The  sight  is  unique  and  weird. 

People  are  often  puzzled  to  see  the  river  above  the  Falls  flowing 
west,  knowing  that  Canada  is  north  of  the  United  States  and  that 
the  Niagara's  course  is  north.  This  is  caused  by  the  position  of 
Grand  Island,  and  a  glance  at  the  map  will  explain  it. 

In  1858,  the  Prince  of  Wales  visited  the  Falls,  which  were  lit 
up  by  calcium  and  colored  lights  placed  along  the  chasm,  and  as 
near  as  possible  to  the  Falls  themselves.  The  effect  was  grand, 
and  has  never  been  equaled. 

The  Indians,  it  is  said  in  Judge  De  Veaux's  works,  have  a  tradi- 
tion that  two  human  beings  yearlj-  will  be  sacrificed  to  the 
Great  Spirit  of  these  waters.  Whether  any  reliance  can  be  placed 
upon  the  tradition  of  the  Indians  or  not,  it  is  true  that  almost 
every  year  has  proved  fatal  to  some  one. 

The  Indians  used  annually  to  sacrifice  a  life  to  the  Great 
Spirit  of  the  Falls,  choosing  the  fairest  daughter  of  the  tribe  to 
guide  a  white  canoe,  filled  with  fruits  and  flowers,  o^er  the 
dreaded  brink. 

At  first  sight,  strangers  are  sometimes  disappointed.  Either 
their  expectations  have  been  raised  too  high,  or  the  grandeur  of 
the  scene  surpasses  anything  they  anticipated. 

The  second  view  is  frequently  more  expressive  than  the  first. 
The  longer  the  visitor  tarries,  the  more  he  enjoys  and  appreciates. 

The  Falls,  it  is  true,  when  seen  from  above,  do  not  appear  more 
than  50  or  60  feet  high;  but  let  the  visitor  go  below,  if  he  would 
get  a  correct  impression  of  this  stupendous  cataract.  Ten  times 
as  much  water  goes  over  the  Canadian  as  over  the  American  Fall. 
*  The  spray  rises  up  in  the  heavens  like  smoke,  and  can  be  seen 
for  a  long  way,  especially  when  the  rays  of  the  sun  are  upon  it. 


22  NIAGARA  FALLS. 

Judge  Porter  said  lie  bad  thus  seen  the  spray  at  a  distance  of  100 
miles. 

If  the  wind  is  up  the  river,  the  view  of  the  Falls  is  not  ob- 
structed, hut  if  it  is  blowing  down  the  river,  it  is  difficult  to  get 
any  view  of  the  Falls. 

In  1840,  Gull  Island,  south  of  Goat  Island,  contained  two  acres 
of  land.  The  storm  of  1847,  and  the  continued  encroachments  of 
the  river,  cut  it  all  away,  there  being  hardly  a  trace  of  it  now. 

The  view  of  the  Falls  at  sunrise  and  sunset  is  particularly 
grand. 

The  moonlight  views  of  Niagara  are  indescribably  weird  and 
delicate,  and  it  will  repay  the  traveler  to  journey  far  to  see  them. 
Solar  bows,  formed  by  reflection  of  the  sun  on  the  spray,  can  be 
seen  on  any  bright  day,  when  the  visitor  is  between  the  sun  and 
the  spray.  Lunar  bows,  seen  at  night,  are  formed  in  a  similar 
way,  by  lunar  beams.     The  spectator  must  be  similarly  placed. 

The  roar  of  the  Falls  can  be  heard  a  long  way  if  the  wind 
blows  toward  the  listener.  It  has  been  heard  at  Toronto,  44  miles, 
and  at  Buffalo,  22  miles.  AVhen  the  wind  blows  from  the  listener, 
the  roar  is  hardly  heard,  even  when  one  is  within  a  few  feet  of 
the  cataract. 

A  loud  roaring  of  the  Falls  is  said  to  indicate  rain.  The  rain 
winds  come  from  the  west,  and  a  west  wind  brings  the  sound 
over  the  village. 

Niagara  Falls  in  winter  is  a  scene  that  no  pen  can  describe. 
The  ice  bridges  are  simply  accumulations  of  ice  that  fill  the  Gorge, 
below  the  Falls.  The  ice  is  often  30  feet  thick,  and  its  surface  is, 
of  course,  as  uneven  as  possible.  These  so-called  bridges  can 
be  crossed  with  safety.  Sometimes  they  extend  up  and  down 
stream  for  half  a  mile,  and  several  winters  it  has  been  possible  to 
walk  on  these  bridges  up  the  centre  of  the  river,  clear  past  the 
American  Fall,  and  to  Goat  Island,  mounting  the  Biddle  Stairs, 
or  returning  by  the  same  route  to  the  Ferry  Stairs.  Many  people 
have  taken  this  foolhardy  journey.  The  ice  that  collects  on  the 
trees  is  formed  by  the  spray  freezing  layer  by  layer,  and  is  very 
hard,  and  pure  white,  and  glistens  in  the  sunlight  with  exceptional 
brightness.  No  such  ice  scener}- — on  the  banks  for  long  icicles, 
on  the  river  for  ice  jams,  on  the  trees  for  delicate  and  fantastically 
shaped  ice  tracery — can  be  found  elsewhere. 


NIAGARA   FALLS.  23 


UlLLAGE   OP   HlAGAI^A  FALLS. 

The  village  of  Niagara  Falls  was  incorporated  July  6,  1848,  under 
the  General  Act  of  New  York,  passed  in  1847.  It  has  a  population 
of  4,000.  On  both  sides  of  the  river  it  is  estimated  that  the  av- 
erage annual  number  of  visitors  to  Niagara  is  400,000.  It  is 
located  in  what  is  known  as  the  Mile  Strip,  a  strip  of  land  one 
mile  in  width,  along  the  whole  length  of  Niagara  river,  reserved 
by  the  State  in  its  early  sales,  and  sold  by  the  State  about  1800. 
According  to  the  State  divisions,  there  were  about  100  lots  in  the 
strip,  lot  No.  42  being  located  at  the  Falls. 

After  the  freedom  of  the  United  States  had  been  recognized,  a 
dispute  arose  as  to  who  should  own  that  part  of  Western  New  York 
lying  west  of  Seneca  Lake.  Commissioners  finally  gave  New  York 
the  jurisdiction  and  Massachusetts  the  ownership.  It  would  seem 
that  the  land  was  first  sold  to  Phelps  &  Gorham,  and  as  they 
partially  failed  to  fulfill  their  agreement,  Robert  Morris  acquired 
it,  and  afterward  sold  the  western  part  to  the  Holland  Land 
Company,  though  the  Mile  Strip  was  not  included  in  any  of  the 
above  sales.  The  part  purchased  by  the  company  is  known  as  the 
Holland  Land  Purchase. 

The  village  was  originally  named  Manchester,  and  now  it  seems 
likely  that  in  a  very  few  years  it  will  be  worthy  of  the  name. 

In  1877,  it  was  first  proposed  to  make  an  International  Reser- 
vation here  ;  to  have  Canada  buy  certain  lands  adjoining  the 
Falls,  and  New  York  State  certain  similar  lands;  to  restore  them 
to  a  state  of  nature,  and  thus  keep  them  forever.  The  report  of 
the  New  York  Commissioners  in  1879  recommended  that  land 
for  the  above  purpose  be  so  reserved.  New  York  has  passed  a 
preliminary  bill,  appointing  commissioners,  and  a  survey  is  now  in 
progress. 

Numberless  accidents  have  happened  at  Niagara  —  suicides, 
murders,  drowning,  over  the  Falls,  etc.  One  or  two  accidents  are 
specially  mentioned  in  this  work,  but  it  would  be  useless  to  give  a 
full  list  of  even  known  accidents.  The  number  of  those  who  have 
taken  the  fatal  plunge  at  night,  unseen  save  by  the  "Eye  that 
sleepeth  not,"  can  never  be  ascertained.  Some  years  there  will  be 
no  known  accident  ;  again,  there  have  been  twelve  in  a  single 


24  NIAGARA  FALLS. 

season.  A  famous  accident  was  that  of  July  19,  1853.  Early  in 
the  morning,  a  man  was  seen  on  a  rock  in  the  American  Rapids, 
midway  between  the  Falls  and  Goat  Island.  He  proved  to  be  a 
Mr.  Avery,  who  in  crossing  the  river  had  been  drawn  into  the 
Rapids  and  had  caught  there.  People  nocked  from  all  over  the 
country  to  see  him.  Boats  and  ropes  were  lowered.  Several 
boats  were  lost,  and  two  sank  near  him.  Food  was  sent  to  him  in 
tin  cans.  A  raft  was  made  and  lowered,  and  reached  him  safely. 
He  got  on  it  and  seized  the  ropes.  It  was  floated  over  to  Chapin 
Island,  but  caught  there.  A  boat  was  lowered  and  touched  the 
raft.  Avery  stepped  forward  to  get  into  it.  The  raft  tipped,  and 
he  fell  into  the  river  and  was  carried  over  the  Falls  after  an 
eighteen-hour  struggle  for  life.  Of  late  years  we  think  accidents 
are  fewer  and  suicides  much  more  frequent. 

Two  or  three  events  here  deserve  more  than  a  passing  mention. 
The  first  of  these  was  the  feat  of  walking  across  the  river  below 
the  Falls  on  a  tight  rope,  performed  in  1858  by  Blondin,  a  French- 
man. He  first  stretched  his  rope,  a  two-inch  cable,  across  the  river 
below  the  old  Suspension  Bridge.  About  every  eight  feet,  stays 
were  attached  to  this  rope,  and  running  from  each  shore  to  near 
the  centre  of  the  span;  and  at  each  point  two  ropes  diverged,  one 
on  either  side  to  the  nearest  bank.  Across  the  rope  at  this  point, 
and  afterward  at  a  point  midway  between  the  old  Suspension 
Bridge  and  the  Falls,  he  repeatedly  crossed  the  chasm,  performing 
tricks — at  one  time  wheeling  a  wheelbarrow;  once  carrying  a  man 
on  his  back,  once  with  peach  baskets  on  his  feet  (this  when  the 
Prince  of  Wales  was  a  spectator),  and  once  in  the  night,  when  an 
attempt  was  made  to  light  up  the  chasm.  He  carried  a  heavy 
balance-pole,  by  which  he  steadied  himself.  He  was  a  man  of 
iron  nerve,  and,  could  he  have  obtained  permission,  would  have 
stretched  his  rope  from  the  Terrapin  Rocks  to  the  opposite  shore, 
and  thus  in  the  midst  of  the  spray  and  rainbows,  have  essayed  to 
cross  the  yawning  gulf,  and  he  probably  would  have  succeeded. 

Since  that  time  not  less  than  three  men  and  one  woman  have 
performed  the  feat  of  walking  over  the  chasm  on  a  tight  rope. 

In  1873,  a  fellow,  Belleni  by  name,  stretched  a  rope  from 
opposite  the  Clifton  House  to  Prospect  Park.  Walking  to  the 
centre  of  the  rope,  he  three  times  leaped  off  into  space  and  sank 
into  the  river  below,  a  distance  of  200  feet.     He  had  a  rubber  cord 


NIAGARA   FALLS.  25 

an  inch  in  diameter  and  twelve  feet  long  constructed,  one  end 
being  securely  fastened  to  the  rope.  Holding  the  other  end  firmly 
in  his  descent,  the  tension  served  to  hold  him  in  an  upright  posi- 
tion. The  third  time  the  cord  broke  and  entangled  his  feet,  so 
that  below  water  he  was  tightly  bound.  He  sank  so.  deep  that  he 
nearly  suffocated.  He  was  picked  up  by  the  boat  which  was  in 
readiness,  but  in  an  exhausted  condition. 

In  1878,  after  duly  advertising  the  fact,  a  man  named  Peer 
dropped  from  the  centre  of  the  new  Suspension  Bridge  into  the 
river.  The  platform  from  which  he  hung  by  his  hands  while 
poising  himself,  is  still  attached  to  the  bridge,  beyond  the  rail  in 
the  centre  of  the  bridge  on  the  side  toward  the  Falls.  He  per- 
formed the  feat  in  safety. 

But  the  most  daring  feat  was  that  performed  June  15,  1861,  by 
J.  R.  Robinson,  a  brave  and  noble  man,  and  one  whose  name  for 
deeds  of  daring  and  for  assistance  rendered  to  men  who  were 
endangered  in  the  Rapids  of  the  Niagara  will  ever  be  fondly 
cherished  here.  In  1846,  a  small  steamer,  called  the  "Maid  of  the 
Mist,"  was  built  below  the  Falls,  and  made  regular  trips  up  close  to 
the  Falls  and  back.  In  1834,  a  larger  and  better  boat,  90  feet  long, 
was  built,  and  continued  the  business  successfully.  In  1861,  being 
restricted  to  the  Canadian  shore  for  passengers,  she  did  not  pay ; 
and,  as  the  sheriff  was  about  to  levy  on  her  for  debt,  it  was  neces- 
sary to  get  her  away.  There  was  but  one  route.  But  who  would 
pilot  her?  No  one  but  Robinson,  and  he  agreed  to  deliver  her  at 
Lake  Ontario,  and  he  did.  Two  men  went  with  him,  and  on  the 
date  above  they  started.  In  the  Whirlpool  Rapids  the  boat  was 
terribly  battered  and  her  smoke-stack  torn  off,  the  men  being 
knocked  down  and  powerless.  When  she  reached  the  Whirlpool, 
Robinson  seized  the  tiller,  and  before  she  was  sucked  into  any  of 
the  eddies,  guided  her  into  the  outlet,  whence  through  the  rushing, 
dashing  waters,  she  sped  like  a  bird,  and  reached  Lewiston  and 
quiet  waters  in  safety.  Robinson  is  said  to  have  received  $500  for 
his  services  during  the  20  minutes  intervening  between  leaving 
the  ferry  stairs  and  the  arrival  at  Lewiston.  Robinson  and  his 
two  companions  are  the  only  men  who  ever  passed  through  the 
Whirlpool  alive. 

The  village  is  a  splendid  manufacturing  point.  Its  location  is 
central;  water-power  is  plentiful  and  reasonable.     The  village  has 


NIAGARA  FALLS.  27 

all  modern  improvements;  taxes  are  light,  and  there  is  no  debt  of 
any  kind.  Railway  facilities  of  all  kinds  and  over  all  roads  are 
unsurpassed.  Raw  material  can  be  received  by  water  via  the 
Erie  Canal  from  the  East,  and  via  the  Niagara  river  from  the 
great  lakes. 

The  Hydraulic  Canal  in  this  village  was  completed  in  1855. 
This  canal  can  be  cut  100  feet  wide  at  any  time,  and  will 
then  furnish  unlimited  water-power.  The  canal  was  bought  by 
J.  F.  Shoelkopf  in  1S78.  Since  then  its  basin  has  been  enlarged, 
and  a  huge  penstock,  or  shaft,  50  feet  square  and  100  feet  deep,  has 
been  sunk  down  into  the  rock.  A  tunnel  connects  the  bottom 
of  this  shaft  with  the  Gorge,  below  the  Falls,  and  thus  3,000  extra 
horse-power  has  been  attained,  and  this  power,  by  belts  and  ropes, 
is  transmitted  long  distances  in  all  directions. 

Niagara,  through  her  hackmen,  bears  a  bad  name  the  world 
over.  These  men  are  not  as  bad  as  represented;  neither  are  the 
great  majority  of  them  swindlers.  As  in  every  other  business, 
there  are  bad  ones  as  well  as  good.  The  worst  feature  about 
them  is  the  way  in  which  they  follow  people  and  importune  them 
to  ride.  They  seem  to  have  no  comprehension  of  the  meaning 
of  the  word  "no  "  If  the  State  ever  makes  an  International 
Park  at  this  place,  it  will  doubtless  establish  a  special  police 
force,  and  a  special  court  of  justice,  and  will  control  the  princi- 
pal streets,  as  they  would  be  the  avenues  leading  to  this  Park. 
When  this  becomes  an  accomplished  fact,  that  class  of  Niagara 
hackmen  who  are  now  so  obnoxious  to  the  traveling  public  will, 
under  the  action  of  stern  law  and  justice,  be  forever  crowded  out 
of  the  place.  Meanwhile,  our  advice  to  those  who  find  it  neces- 
sary to  deal  with  them  is  as  follows:  make  a  definite  bargain  in 
advance  ;  stipulate  exactly  as  to  tolls  ;  the  names  and  number 
of  the  points  of  interest  to  be  visited ;  the  time  to  be  occupied, 
and  that  there  are  to  be  no  extras,  and  there  will  usually  be  little 
trouble. 

We  give  on  the  two  following  pages  the  distances  from  prin- 
cipal hotels,  admission  fees  and  tolls,  and  rates  of  fare  allowed 
by  law  in  the  village  of  Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y.,  for  the  use  of 
carriages. 


NIAGARA  FALLS. 


DISTANCES  FROM   PRINCIPAL  HOTELS. 

Canada 
side. 

Around  Goat  Island 8    miles. 

"       Prospect  Park 1 

To  New  Suspension  Bridge % 

"  Railway    "  "       ■  2 

"  Michigan  Central  Canti-lever  Bridge 1% 

"  Whirlpool  Rapids 2J4 

"  Whirlpool 2% 

"DevirsHole 4 

"  Top  of  Mountain 7 

"  Indian  Village  (Council  House) 8l/2 

"  Table  Rock % 

"        "        '*     via  New  Suspension  Bridge,  or  Ferry — 

"       "        "     via  Railway  Suspension  Bridge — 

"  Burning  Spring 154 

"         "  "       via  New  Suspension  Bridge — 

"         "  "       via  Railway  Suspension  Bridge — 

"  Lundy's  Lane  Battle  Ground ty* 

"  Brock's  Monument,  Queenston  Heights 7 


American 
side. 

1%  miles. 

H    " 
%    " 

2 

l?i  " 

SJ4  " 
3 

3l/2  " 

6/2  " 

8  " 


2Vt 


ADMISSION  FEES  AND  TOLLS. 


To  Cave  of  the  Winds  (with  guide  and  dress) $1  00 

"  Shadow  of  the  Rock  (with  guide  and  dre6S) 1  00 

"  Inclined  Railway  (Prospect  Park) 25 

"  Ferry  to  Canada  and  Prospect  Park 50 

"  Electric  Light  (Prospect  Park)  extra,  on  day  or  season  tickets 15 

"  Behind  Horse  Shoe  Falls,  with  guide  aud  dress.    Canada  side 1  00 

"  Museum 50 

"  Burning  Spring  and  Islands 50 

"  Lundy's  Laue  Battle  Ground 50 

"  Whirlpool  Rapids  (either  side) 50 

"  Whirlpool  (either  side) 50 

"  Crossing  New  Suspension  Bridge  (each  way) 25 

"  Crossing  New  Suspension  Bridge,  extra  for  two-horse  carriage 50 

"   Crossing  Railway  Suspension  Bridge  (over  and  return) 25 

"  Crossing  Railway  Suspension  Bridge,  extra  for  two-horse  carriage.. .  50 

"  Toll  on  River  Bank  Highway,  Canada  6ide,  for  carriages  only 10 

Niagara  Falls  and  Suspension  Bridge  Street  Railway  Co  ,  from  Soldiers' 

Monument,  Niagara  Falls,  to  Suspension  Bridge,  fare  5  cents. 


NIAGARA   FALLS. 


KATES  OF  FARE  ALLOWED  BY  LAW  IX  THE  VILLAGE  OF 
NIAGARA  FALLS,  X.  Y. 

For  the  use  and  hire  of  carnages  where  no  express  contract  is  made  therefor. 

For  carrying  one  passenger  and  ordinary  baggage  from  one  place  to 

another  in  the  village S    50 

Each  additional  passenger  and  ordinary  baggage 25 

For  carrying  one  passenger  and  ordinary  baggage  from  any  point  in 

this  village  to  any  point  in  the  village  of  Suspension  Bridge 1  00 

Each  additional  passenger  and  ordinary  baggage 50 

Each  additional  piece  of  baggage,  other  than  ordinary  baggage 12 

Children  under  three  years  of  age,  free. 

Over  three  years  and  under  fourteen  years,  half  price. 

Ordinary  baggage  is  defined  to  be  one  trunk  and  one  bag,  hat  or  bandbox,  or 
other  small  parcel. 

For  carrying  one  or  more  passengers,  in  the  same  carriage,  from  any  point  in 
this  village  to  any  point  within  five  miles  of  the  limits  of  the  village,  at  the 
rate  of  $1.50  for  each  hour  occupied,  except  that  in  every  instance  where  such 
carriage  shall  be  drawn  by  a  single  horse,  the  fare  therefor  shall  be  at  the  rate 
of  $1  for  each  hour  occupied. 


Prefat 


on 


y- 


[HE  maps  accompanying  this  book  have  been  specially  pre- 
pared for  it,  and  ^vill  be  of  great  service,  as  they  point 
out  the  relative  position  of  the  different  points  of  interest. 
In  order  to  proceed  regularly  in  our  task,  we  have  placed  the 
various  points  of  interest  in  the  order  in  which  they  usually  are, 
and  in  which  they  always  ought  to  be,  visited — the  Goat  Island 
Group  coming  first  in  the  category,  as  it  is  indisputably  the  finest 
piece  of  property  in  the  world  as  a  summer  or  winter  scene. 
By  following  this  arrangement  visitors  will  see  the  whole  of 
Niagara  to  the  best  advantage,  in  the  easiest  and  quickest  way 
and  with  the  least  needless  expense. 


31 


p 


01 


nts     o"      ntenest, 


Goat  Island. 

^THE  "  Goat  Island  Group,"  so  called,  is  an  estate  consisting 
"  of  a  large  island  standing  on  the  verge  of  the  cliff  over 
which  the  cataract  pours,  and  dividing  the  river  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  form  from  its  waters  two  Falls — the  one  being  known 
as  the  ''American"  and  the  other  as  the  "Horseshoe  or  Canadian 
Fall" — and  includes  several  other  smaller  islands,  notably  Bath 
Island,  Luna  Island,  Terrapin  Rocks,  Three  Sisters  Islands,  and 
ten  others  not  yet  accessible  by  bridges. 

Originally,  the  first  man  who  had  any  right  to  name  "Goat" 
Island,  called  it  very  properly  "Iris  Island,"  and  it  ought  to  be 
known  under  that  appellative.  It  owes  its  present  singular  name 
to  a  local  fact.  In  1779,  a  Mr.  John  Stedman,  having  cleared  a 
portion  of  the  upper  end  of  the  island,  placed  some  goats  (notable 
among  them  an  aged  male  goat)  upon  it.  During  the  ensuing 
winter  it  was  impossible  to  reach  the  island,  and  the  animals  were 
killed  by  the  cold.  The  people  named  the  island  after  the  repre- 
sentative of  the  flock  "  Goat  Island,"  a  cognomen  which  has  ever 
since  adhered  to  it. 

These  islands  were  originally  owned  by  the  State  of  New  York. 
At  one  time  it  was  proposed  to  establish  a  prison  and  at  another 
time  an  arsenal  at  Goat  Island. 

In  1814,  General  and  Judge  Porter  bought  of  Samuel  Sherwood 
a  paper  called  a  Float,  given  by  the  State  as  pay  for  military  serv- 
ices rendered,  authorizing  the  bearer  to  locate  200  acres  of  land 
on  any  of  the  unsold  or  unappropriated  land  belonging  to  the 
State.     Part  of  this  they  located  on  Goat  and   other    adjacent 

3  33 


34 


NIAGARA   FALLS. 


islands,  immediately  above  and  adjoining  the  Great  Falls,  their 
patent  bearing  date  1816,  and  signed  by  Daniel  D.  Tompkins  as 
Governor,  and  Martin  Van  Buren  as  Attorney-General  of  New 
York.  An  early  record  says  the  island  once  contained  250  acres 
of  land;  at  present  the  group  contains  some  65  acres.  The  area 
of  Goat  Island  is  sixty-one  and  a  half  acres  ;  its  circumference 
about  one  mile.  A  strip  about  10  rods  wide  and  80  rods  long  has 
been  washed  away  on  the  south  side  since  the  first  road  was  made, 

in  1818.  Long 
before  it  was 
bridged,  it  was 
visited  from  time 
to  time  by  per- 
sons to  whom  its 
attractions  were  of 
more  importance 
than  the  peril  of 
reaching  it.  The 
late  Judge  Porter, 
who  visited  it  in 
1805,  found  names 
cut  in  the  bark  of 
a  beech  near  the 
Horseshoe  Falls, 
with  the  subjoined 
dates  of  1771, 1772 
and  1779.  The 
first  bridge  to  this 
group  was  built  in 
1817,  and  reached 
The  next  winter  the  high  water  and 


The  Cataract  above  Goat  Island. 


to  the  head  of  Goat  Island 
the  ice  washed  it  away. 

In  1818,  another  bridge  was  built,  but  lower  down,  on  the  site  of 
the  present  one.  This  was  repaired  frequently  till  1856,  when  the 
present  iron  bridge  was  constructed.  The  foundation  consists  of 
oak  cribs,  filled  with  stones  and  covered  with  plates  of  iron.  The 
superstructure  is  of  iron,  and  consists  of  four  arches  of  ninety 
feet  span  each,  supported  between  these  piers.  The  whole  length 
of  the  bridge  is  three  hundred  and  sixty  feet,  and  its  width  is 


NIAGARA  FALLS.  35 

twenty-seven  feet.  Of  this  a  double  carriage  way  occupies  sixteen 
and  a  half  feet,  and  two  footways,  one  either  side  of  the  carriage- 
way, five  and  a  quarter  feet  each.  Visitors  often  ask  how  the  first 
bridge  was  built  over  the  Rapids. 

A  suitable  pier  and  platform  was  built  at  the  water's  edge;  long 
timbers  were  projected  over  this  abutment  the  distance  they 
wished  to  sink  the  next  pier,  heavily  loaded  on  the  end  next  to 
the  shore  with  stone,  to  prevent  their  moving.  Legs  were  framed 
through  the  ends  of  the  projecting  timbers,  resting  upon  the  rocky 
bottom,  thus  forming  a  temporary  pier,  around  which  a  more  sub- 
stantial one  was  built.  These  timbers  were  then  securely  fastened 
to  this  pier,  cross-boards  were  spiked  on,  and  the  first  section  was 
done.     The  plan  was  repeated  for  each  arch. 

Goat  Island  was,  in  ancient  times,  one  of  the  favorite  bmying 
grounds  of  the  Indians,  and  yet  preserves  traces  of  their  funeral 
rites.  It  was  particularly  revered  as  the  spot  where  chiefs  and 
noted  warriors  were  buried. 

Tolls  for  the  day,  50  cents  each.  Season  §1.  Reductions  to 
excursions. 

Crossing  the  first  bridge,  from  which  both  up  and  down  stream 
is  to  be  had  one  of  the  grandest  views  of  the  Rapids,  you  reach 
Bath  Island,  some  two  acres  in  extent.  A  few  rods  below  and 
near  the  Falls  is  Chapin  Island,  so  called  because  a  man  of  that 
name  in  1849,  while  repairing  the  bridge,  fell  into  the  river,  but 
succeeded  in  reaching  that  island,  from  which  he  was  soon  rescued. 
Cross  the  next  bridge,  and  you  are  at  Goat  Island. 

Ascend  the  hill,  and  turn  to  your  right — by  taking  this  route  you 
get  the  less  impressive  view  of  the  Falls  at  first,  and  the  more 
grand  and  imposing  last;  and  you  get  more  time  in  which  to  ap- 
preciate the  magnificent  grandeur  and  awful  sublimity.  Advanc- 
ing for  a  few  rods  through  the  forest,  you  reach  one  of  the  most 
charming  views  of  Niagara,  illustrated  on  next  page. 

Descending  the  stairs,  on  what  from  its  shape  is  called  "Rag's 
Back,"  you  stand  next  to  the  Little  Fall,  beneath  which  is  the 
famous  Cave  of  the  Winds;  and  crossing  the  little  bridge  at  your 
right  you  reach  Luna  Island. 

From  the  farther  point,  protected  by  an  iron  rail,  we  see  the 
most  desirable  near  view  of  the  American  Falls  and  Rapids, 
which  are  so  close   that   it  is  possible  to  dip  the  hand  into  the 


36 


NIAGARA   FALLS. 


rushing  tide  passing  over  the  verge.  Here,  too,  one  gets  an  ex- 
cellent view  of  the  debris  of  rock  and  shale  deposited  by  the  action 
of  the  torrent  at  the  foot  of  the  American  Fall,  and  also  a  fine 
perspective  of  the  Gorge,  below. 

This  spot  is  called  Luna  Island,  because  the  Lunar  bow  is  seen 

I^m^mm ^^m  here  to  the  best 
advantage. 
It  has  often 
been  remarked 
by  strangers  that 
this  island  trem- 
bles, which  is  un- 
doubtedly true; 
but  the  impress- 
ion is  heightened 
by  imagination. 

It  was  while 
climbing  over 
the  rocks  directly 
under  this  island 
that  Dr.  Hunger- 
ford,  of  Troy, 
N.  Y.,  was  killed 
in  the  spring  of 
1839,  by  the 
crumbling  of  a 
portion  of  the 
rock  from  above. 
This  is  the  only 
accident  that 
ever  occurred  at 
Niagara  by  the 
falling  of  rock. 
On  the  northern  shore  of  this  island,  a  few  feet  above  the  brink, 
is  a  spot  of  mournful  memory.  On  June  21,  1849,  the  family  of 
Mr.  Deforest,  of  Buffalo,  with  a  friend,  Mr.  Charles  Addington, 
were  viewing  the  scenery  from  this  point.  The  party,  in  fine 
spirits,  were  about  leaving  the  island,  when  Mr.  Addington  ad- 
vanced playfully  to  Miss  Annetta,  the  little  daughter  of  Mrs. 


American  Fall  ai.d  Foot  Bridge,  from 
Goat  Island. 


NIAGARA  FALLS.  37 

Deforest,  saying,  "I  am  going  to  throw  you  in,"  at  the  same  time 
lifting  her  over  the  edge  of  the  water.  With  a  sudden  impulse  of 
fear,  the  child  sprang  from  his  hands  into  the  river.  With  a 
shriek,  the  young  man  sprang  to  save  her,  but  before  those  on 
shore  had  time  to  speak  or  move,  they  had  passed  over  the  preci- 
pice. The  child's  remains  were  found  the  same  afternoon  in 
the  Cave  of  the  Winds;  and  a  few  days  afterward,  the  body  of 
the  gallant  but  fated  man  was  likewise  recovered  and  committed 
to  the  village  cemetery.  This  is,  perhaps,  the  most  touching 
casualty  that  ever  occurred  at  the  Falls. 

As  you  leave  Luna  Island,  stop  a  moment  at  the  foot  of  the 
path  before  ascending,  and  see  the  so-called  profiles,  formed  by 
the  inequality  of  projection  in  that  portion  of  the  precipice  which 
is  formed  by  the  western  side  of  Luna  Island.  The  rock  is  close 
to  and  almost  under  the  American  Fall. 

They  obtain  their  name  from  their  remarkable  likeness  to  three 
human  faces. 

Reaching  the  top  of  the  bank,  proceed  straight  ahead,  and  you 
soon  catch  the  first  glimpse  of  the  "-Horseshoe  Falls,"  so  called 
from  its  resemblance  to  that  article.  Years  ago  the  name  was 
appropriate,  but  to-day  there  is  not  the  least  resemblance.  The 
building  before  you  contains  the  dressing  rooms  for  the  Cave  of 
the  Winds,  and  leads  to  the  famous  Biddle  Stairs,  so  called  from 
the  President  of  the  United  States  Bank,  Nicholas  Biddle,  who  in 
1829  contributed  a  sum  of  money  for  their  erection. 

They  are  secured  to  the  solid  rock  by  ponderous  iron  bolts,  and 
are  said  to  be  perfectly  safe.  The  perpendicular  height  of  the 
bank  at  this  place  is  185  feet,  the  staircase  itself  being  80  feet 
high  and  consisting  of  90  steps.  From  the  stairs  to  the  river  there 
is  a  rude  pathway,  but  it  is  seldom  traversed,  except  for  the  pur- 
pose of  angling,  an  art  which,  at  the  right  time  of  the  year,  is 
here  practiced  with  the  happiest  success. 

Shortly  after  their  erection,  the  well-known  Sam  Patch,  whose 
diving  propensities  made  his  name  a  household  word,  made  his 
famous  leap  of  100  feet  into  the  river  in  1820.  Midway  between 
the  foot  of  these  stairs  and  the  Canadian  Fall,  he  erected  a  scaffold 
96  feet  high,  from  which  he  made  his  successful  leap.  He  re- 
peated it  successfully  the  same  year,  then  went  to  the  Genesee 
Falls  at  Rochester  and  jumped,  and  was  killed.     He  never  rose 


NIAGARA   FALLS. 


to  the  surface  after  he  jumped,  and  his  body  was  not  found  for 

some  days,  and  then  miles  away. 

No  charge  is  made  for  the  use  of  the  stairs. 

From  the  foot  of  Biddle's    Stairs,  two  paths   lead  in  opposite 

directions,  one  toward  the  Canada,  and  the  other 

•/, ,  toward  the  American  Fall.     The  former  has  been 

obstructed  by 

slides  from  above, 
and  is  more  diffi- 
cult. But  it  will  re- 
pay your  trouble, 
for  you  will  get 
a  splendid  view 
of  Horseshoe  Fall 
from  below,  which 
is  not  obtainable 
elsewhere. 

Taking  the  road 
to  the  right  from 
the  foot  of  the 
stairs,  a  few  min- 
utes' walk  brings 
you  to  the  cele- 
brated Cave  of  the 
Winds,  or,  as  it  is 
sometimes  called, 
iEolus  Cavern,  by 
all  means  the  best 
place  to  go  behind 
the  sheet  of  water. 
It  was  first  entered 
in  1834,  and  dur- 
ing the  past  fifty  years  this  curious  but  splendid  Cave  has  been 
the  chief  charm  of  the  locality,  and  has  been  visited  annually  by 
hundreds.  It  is  100  by  160  feet  in  dimensions,  and  100  feet  in 
height.  Having  been  excavated  by  the  action  of  the  falling  water, 
it  forms  a  natural  chamber  through  which,  with  suitable  dresses 
and  guides,  which  can  be  secured  for  a  dollar,  we  can  pass  between 
the  Cataract  and  the  Rock,  and  see  the  ever-changing  effect  of  the 


Horseshoe  Falls,  from  Goat  Island 


NIAGARA.  FALLS.  39 

light  passing  through  the  descending  mass  of  water;  take  a  bath 
in  the  mist  and  spray  of  old  Niagara;  pass  through  the  rainbows, 
and  secure  a  delightful,  novel  and  strange  sensation  of  commingled 
terror  and  safety,  from  which  we  can  emerge  after  a  few  minutes 
as  free  from  any  other  effect  of  the  water  as  when  we  entered. 

The  formation  of  this  cave  was  easy.  The  gradual  wearing 
away  by  the  water  of  the  shaly  substratum  of  the  precipice  left 
the  limestone  rock  above  projecting  about  thirty  feet  bejTond  the 
base,  thus  forming  an  open  cave,  over  which  falls  the  torrent  of 
Niagara.  The  compression  of  the  atmosphere  by  the  falling  water 
is  here  so  great  that  the  cave  is  rendered  as  stormy  and  turbulent 
as  that  of  old  iEolus  himself,  from  whose  classical  majesty,  in- 
deed, it  derived  its  first  name. 

If  the  wind  is  blowing  down  the  river,  or  from  the  American 
shore,  you  can  stand  with  perfect  safety  upon  a  large  rock,  within 
a  few  feet  of  the  falling  sheet,  without  inconvenience  from  the 
spray.  In  the  afternoon,  when  the  sun  shines,  there  is  always  a 
splendid  rainbow  between  the  sheet  of  water  and  the  rock,  within 
a  few  feet  of  you;  and  this  is  the  only  place  on  the  globe  where 
a  rainbow  forming  an  entire  circle  can  be  seen.  Two,  and  some- 
times three,  have  been  seen  at  once. 

The  grand  trip  in  front  of  the  Fall,  where  the  water  appears  to 
pour  from  the  sky,  is  illustrated  on  page  46. 

After  leaving  the  Biddle  Stairs,  follow  the  path  along  the  bank 
and  you  soon  reach  the  spot  where  a  huge  slice  of  the  land  has 
fallen.  One  slide  occurred  in  1843,  and  another  in  1847.  Within 
20  years,  more  than  20  feet  in  width  and  400  feet  in  length  have 
gone  down.  Proceed  a  little  farther,  and  you  stand  above  and  in 
full  view  of  the  Canadian  Fall.  Go  down  the  hill  and  out  to  the 
Terrapin  Rocks  ;  it  may  be  tiresome,  but  it  will  amply  repay  you. 

This  Bridge  is  subject  to  the  action  of  the  spray  ;  care  should 
be  taken  in  crossing  it.  In  the  winter  of  1852,  a  gentleman 
from  West  Troy,  N.  Y.,  while  crossing  to  the  tower,  fell  into 
the  current,  and  was  carried  to  the  verge  of  the  Fall,  where  he 
lodged  between  two  rocks.  He  was  discovered  by  two  citizens, 
who  rescued  him  by  throwing  out  lines,  which  he  fastened 
around  his  body  just  in  time,  and  was  hauled  in  almost  senseless. 
He  remained  speechless  for  several  hours  after  being  taken  to  his 
hotel. 


Biddle  Staircase,  Goat  Island 


40 


NIAGARA   FALLS.  41 

As  you  stand  inside  the  iron  rail  and  overlook  the  vast  gulf 
below,  you  are  in  the  very  centre  of  Niagara. 

The  old  Terrapin  Tower,  also  called  Horseshoe  or  Prospect 
Tower,  which  stood  on  these  rocks,  was  built  in  1833,  of  stones 
gathered  in  the  vicinity.  It  was  a  round  tower  43  feet  high,  12 
feet  in  diameter  at  the  base,  and  8  feet  at  the  top,  with  a  gallery 
near  the  upper  end — a  rugged  structure,  in  perfect  harmony  with 
its  surroundings.  It  was  blown  up  by  the  wish  of  a  majority  of 
the  owners  of  the  Goat  Island  Group,  in  1873,  some  pretending 
to  believe  it  unsafe.  Its  destruction  was  entirety  unnecessaiy, 
and  took  away  a  charming  feature  of  Niagara,  which  it  is  hoped 
may  soon  be  replaced.  Table  Rock,  which  fell  in  1850,  was 
directly  opposite,  on  the  Canadian  shore. 

From  this  point  one  gets  the  best  view  of  the  shape  of  the  Fall, 
and  the  clearest  idea  of  how  it  has  been  modified  by  the  action  of 
the  water.  This  action  has  been  especially  violent  of  late  years. 
On  Sunday,  Feb.  1,  1852,  a  portion  of  the  precipice,  stretching 
from  the 'edge  of  the  island  to  the  tower,  about  125  feet  long  and 
60  feet  wide,  and  reaching  from  near  the  top  to  the  bottom  of  the 
Fall,  fell  with  a  crash  of  thunder.  The  next  day  another,  a 
triangular  piece,  with  a  base  of  about  40  feet,  broke  off  just  below 
the  tower.  Between  the  two  portions  that  had  thus  fallen,  stood 
a  rectangular  projection,  about  30  feet  long  and  15  feet  wide,  ex- 
tending from  the  top  to  the  bottom  of  the  precipice.  This  mass 
loosened  from  the  main  body  of  the  rock  and  settled  down  per- 
pendicularly about  9  feet,  where  it  stood  for  years,  an  enormous 
column,  150  feet  high  by  the  dimensions  given. 

This  Fall  is  sometimes  called  the  Canadian  Fall.  America  owns 
one-half  of  it.  The  width  is  estimated  at  144  rods.  The  deep 
green  color  of  the  water,  especially  in  the  angle,  is  supposed  to  be 
due  to  the  depth.  In  1827,  the  Michigan,  a  vessel  condemned  as 
unseaworthy^  was  purchased  and  sent  over  the  Fall.  She  drew 
18  feet,  and  filled  with  water  as  she  went  through  the  Rapids. 
As  she  went  over  the  brink  without  touching,  the  depth  of  the 
water  was  proved  to  be  20  feet. 

As  you  reach  the  top  of  the  bank,  the  path  directly  in  front  will 
lead  you  through  the  wood  back  to  the  bridge,  but  you  will  miss 
much  if  you  take  it.  Turning  to  the  right,  you  follow  the  edge 
of  the  bank  for  about  forty  rods  and  reach  a  small  stone  monument, 


42 


NIAGARA  FALLS. 


directly  in  your  path,  marked  with  a  cross  on  the  top,  set  by  the 
surveyors  to  ascertain  if  the  Falls  recede.  This  is  the  best  point 
from  which  to  get  a  correct  view  of  the  shape  of  the  Horseshoe 
Fall. 

This,  the  south  side  of  the  island,  is  specially  mentionable  from 
the  fact  that  it  affords  unsurpassed  views  of  the  Canadian  Rapids, 
which  run  at  the  rate  of  28  miles  per  hour. 


A  View  from  Whirlwind  Rock,  American  Side. 


You  soon  reach  the  Three  Sisters  Islands,  which  were  connected 
with  Grand  Island  by  handsome  suspension  bridges  in  1868,  and 
which  open  up  an  entirely  new  scene.  The  grandest  views  of 
the  Rapids  to  be  found  at  Niagara  are  right  before  you.  These 
Islands  offer,  from  their  location,  an  unchangeable,  cool  retreat 
in  the  warmest  days  of  summer,  with  enchanting  views  of  the 


NIAGARA  FALLS.  43 

scenery;  the  cascades  under  the  bridges,  formed  by  the  current 
passing  over  the  ledges  of  rock,  being  among  the  chief  attractions. 

From  the  head  of  the  third  sister  may  be  seen  one  continuous 
cascade,  extending  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  from  Goat  Island 
across  to  the  Canada  shore,  varying  from  ten  to  twenty  feet  in 
height.  From  this  miniature  Niagara  rises  a  spray  similar  to  that 
of  the  great  Falls. 

The  "Little  Brother,"  a  small  island  at  the  foot  of  the  Third 
Sister,  has  not  yet  been  bridged. 

The  ' '  Hermit's  Cascade  "  is  best  seen  from  the  First  Sister  Island 
Bridge,  by  which  it  is  spanned,  and  is  a  beautiful  sight.  It  is 
so  called  because  Francis  Abbott,  the  Hermit  of  the  Falls,  used  to 
bathe  here.  He  was  a  young  man,  gentlemanly  and  accomplished, 
who  for  two  years  lived  a  solitary  life  at  Niagara.  He  had  a  hut 
near  this  spot  on  the  island,  and  later  on  he  built  one  in  what  is 
now  Prospect  Park.  He  had  but  little  intercourse  with  any  one, 
wrote  a  great  deal,  and  always  in  Latin,  but  destroyed  all  manu- 
scripts almost  as  soon  as  written.  On  Goat  Island,  at  hours  when 
it  was  unfrequented,  he  delighted  to  roam,  heedless,  if  not  obliv- 
ious, of  danger.  At  that  time,  a  stick  of  timber  eight  inches 
square  extended  from  Terrapin  Bridge  eight  feet  beyond  the  preci- 
pice. On  this  he  has  been  seen  at  all  hours  of  the  night,  pacing 
to  and  fro,  without  the  slightest  tremor  of  nerve  or  hesitancy  of 
step.  Sometimes  he  was  seen  sitting  carelessly  on  the  extreme 
end  of  the  timber — sometimes  hanging  from  it  by  his  hands  and 
feet.  He  belonged  to  a  respectable  English  family,  and  his  reasons 
for  leading  this  life  were  never  known.  He  was  drowned  while 
bathing  near  the  foot  of  the  Park  Railway,  in  1831.  His  body 
was  recovered,  and  is  buried  in  Oakwood  Cemetery,  Niagara 
Falls. 

When  you  get  back  to  Goat  Island,  you  can  return  to  the  bridge 
by  a  short  way  by  taking  the  road  straight  ahead  through  the 
woods.  It  is  best,  however,  to  see  the  other  views,  and  to  do  this 
you  turn  to  your  right  and  follow  the  road  directly  east.  Here 
one  sees  how  it  was  possible  for  the  island  to  have  reached  a 
long  way  up  stream,  for  a  bar  extends  up  between  the  currents 
for  nearly  half  a  mile,  with  a  depth  of  water  not  over  four  feet. 
This  also  shows  how  it  was  possible  for  people  to  visit  the  island 
before  the  bridge  was  built. 


44 


NIAGARA  FALLS. 


There  is  little  trouble  in  coming  clown  to  the  island  in  a  boat. 
but  the  return  is  dangerous,  as,  if  the  boat  is  drawn  into  the  cur- 
rent on  either  side,  it  is  almost  certain  death,  as  the  water  is  too 
rough,  too  shallow  and  too  rapid  to  allow  the  oarsman  to  manage 
his  boat  at  all. 


9  & 


The  Bridge,  Sister  Islands. 


The  time  to  visit  Goat  Island  is  in  the  morning;  the  earlier  the 
better.  The  foliage  is  brighter,  the  air  cooler  and  purer;  one  is 
better  prepared  physically  to  enjoy  nature,  and  above  all  you  get 
the  best  views,  as  the  sun  is  at  your  back,  and  brightens  and 
glorifies  the  scenery  without  blinding  you.  Still  more  important, 
it  is  only  in  the  morning  that  the  glorious  rainbows  can  be  seen 
from  the  islands. 

After  leaving  the  head  of  the  island  from  the  road,  you  get  a 
good  view  of  the  Rapids.  Half  way  to  the  bridge  is  a  spring  of 
cool  water,  situated  at  the  foot  of  the  bank.     The  path  to  it  is 


NIAGARA  FALLS.  45 

easily  accessible,  and  the  view  of  the  Rapids  through  the  trees  and 
at  their  edge  is  fine. 

Surrounded  as  it  is  by  water,  and  with  such  a  torrent  of  water 
on  each  side,  and  with  such  a  head,  the  water-power  capabilities 
of  the  island  in  a  manufacturing  point  of  view  can  hardly  be  es- 
timated. No  other  known  spot  could  furnish  such  a  number  of 
horse-power.  A  canal  cut  through  the  centre,  and  large  wings  or 
dams  on  each  shore,  would  furnish  power  hardly  dreamed  of 
heretofore.  . 

Geologically,  too,  the  island  is  a  mine  of  wealth,  its  western  cliff 
showing  exactly  the  composition  and  dip  of  the  rocks.  Its  shores 
show  the  action  of  the  water,  and  bear  the  records  of  the  past, 
while  beneath  its  trees,  and  mingled  with  its  soil,  are  the  shells 
and  alluvial  deposit  by  which  geologists  have  proved  that,  ages 
ago,  while  Niagara  was  cutting  its  Gorge  from  Lewiston  to  its 
present  location,  the  whole  of  the  entire  section  for  miles  and 
miles  was  submerged,  the  Niagara  river  being  a  broad  and  com- 
paratively shallow  stream. 

It  is  to-day  a  temple  of  nature,  at  whose  shrine  thousands  from 
all  over  the  world  annually  pay  their  tribute  of  praise.  It  is  an 
important  page,  as  before  noted,  in  the  book  of  the  geologist, 
while  to  the  botanist  it  is  a  spot  sacred  from  the  vast  number  of 
its  present  species,  and  as  the  preserver,  in  the  petrifactions  of 
leaves  and  animal  life  that  are  found  within  its  borders,  of  the 
history  of  the  vegetable  kingdoms  of  the  past. 

Goat  Island  presents,  from  the  Canada  side,  an  appearance  sim- 
ilar to  that  of  the  cliff  of  the  south  coast  of  England — it  being, 
Dear  the  ledge,  about  175  feet  in  height.  It  is  entirely  composed 
of  hard  stone,  mostly  limestone,  slate  and  marl. 

It  is  covered  with  a  grand  old  "forest  primeval,"  containing 
many  trees  now  withered  and  decayed,  but  which  have  stood  sen- 
tinel over  this  scene  for  hundreds  of  years.  This  is  an  almost 
unique  bit  of  virgin  forest,  and  it  has  been  the  policy  and  pride  of 
its  owners  to  thus  preserve  it,  In  winter,  these  trees  are  the  roost- 
ing places  of  the  crows,  who  come  here  nightly  and  in  thousands 
from  all  over  this  section  of  the  country. 

No  sportsman  is  allowed  to  carry  a  gun  on  this  island,  as  it 
would  endanger  the  lives  of  those  who  are  promenading  through 
it.    The  cottage  near  the  bridge  is  the  only  dwelling  on  the  island. 


46 


NIAGARA   FALLS. 


The  island  is  a  favorite  resort  and  study  of  botanists,  who  de- 
clare they  have  found  on  it  over  400  different  species  and  kinds  of 
plants  and  trees.  It  is  also  said  that  it  contains  a  greater  number 
of  valuable  species  of  the  vegetable  kingdom  than  the  same  area 
in  any  explored  portion  of  the  world. 

The  scenery  from  the  island  by  moonlight  is  a  rare  sight, 
and  should  be  enjoyed  by  all  who  'have  an  opportunity  to  thus 
visit  it. 


American  Fall,  Hurricane  Bridge. 

In  winter  the  island  scenery  is  magnificent,  for,  no  matter 
which  way  the  wind  blows,  the  spray  reaches  some  part  of  the 
forest,  where  it  congeals,  on  every  twig  and  limb,  in  that  glit- 
tering sheen  and  that  glorious  ice  foliage  which  is  unmatched 
elsewhere. 


NIAGARA  FALLS.  47 

Taking  the  Goat  Island  Group  as  a  whole,  it  may  be  said  that 
they  essentially  form  what  is  understood  as  ''Niagara  Falls,"  as 
they  adjoin  both  cataracts  and  afford  all  the  most  desirable  views 
here. 

I^OSPEGIT    IS>AI^. 

Next  in  order  comes  this  well-known  property,  now  embracing 
some  12  acres,  and  owned  by  the  Prospect  Park  Company.  The 
land  adjoins  the  American  Fall,  with  a  frontage  above  the  Fall  of 
some  400  feet,  and  along  the  Gorge  a  still  longer  frontage. 

It  comprises  what  is  known  as  the  old  ferry,  which  was  private 
property,  and  which  used  to  be  free  to  all,  but  in  1872  this  com- 
pany purchased,  enlarged  and  improved  it,  and  charged  admission. 
From  time  to  time,  adjoining  lands  have  been  added,  till  it  now 
embraces  all  the  land  between  Canal  street  and  the  river,  extend 
ing  from  Rapids  street  to  the  new  Suspension  Bridge. 

Its  main  entrance  is  a  tasty  structure,  at  the  foot  of  Cascade 
street.  The  point  of  land  at  the  edge  and  brink  of  the  Falls  is 
called  Prospect  Point,  and  commands  a  fine  view,  which  is  the 
feature  of  the  park,  and  which  we  give  in  the  illustration  on  page 
48.  The  point  is  carefully  protected  by  a  handsome  stone  wall 
running  for  some  distance  along  the  edge  of  the  Gorge. 

By  some  300  stairs,  or,  better  still,  in  a  car  running  on  an  inclined 
railway,  we  descend  to  the  water's  edge.  These  cars  are  raised  and 
lowered  by  water  power,  by  means  of  a  3-inch  cable  300  feet  long 
running  around  and  over  steel  wheels.  At  the  foot  of  the  stair- 
way are  the  dressing-rooms  for  the  Shadow  of  the  Rock,  as  the 
space  between  the  rock  and  the  sheet  of  water  at  the  end  of  the 
American  Fall  is  called,  and  where  one  can  go  in  as  far  as  his 
inclination  may  prompt. 

Here  is  also  an  observatory  built  of  stone,  a  place  from  which, 
when  the  spray  is  blown  down  the  river,  one  can  see  the  Falls 
from  a  sheltered  place.  Here  is  also  the  Hurricane  Bridge, 
whence,  when  the  spray  is  blown  the  other  way,  one  can  get  a 
near  view  of  the  Falls  and  of  the  rocks  which  lie  at  its  base. 

Over  the  Hurricane  Bridge  and  the  rocks  nearby  is  formed  each 
winter  a  huge  mountain  of  solid  ice,  which  does  not  entirely  dis- 
appear till  the  end  of  May.     This  ice  mountain  has  been  100  feet 


48 


NIAGARA  FALLS. 


high.    On  the  top  of  the  observatory  and  dressing-room,  too,  the 
ice  often  forms  four  feet  thick. 

At  this  point  is  also  a  ferry  to  Canada.     By  small  row  boats  the 
ride  is  pleasant  and  entirely  free  from  danger,  and  the  view  is 

grand,  in  fact  the 
view  from  the  cen- 
tre of  the  river  and 
opposite  the  Ameri- 
can Fall  is  one  that 
should  not  be 
missed. 

There  has  been  a 
ferry  here  for  75 
years,  and  no  acci- 
dent has  ever  hap- 
pened. 

On  the  table-land 
above,  which  forms 
the  park  proper, 
every  aid  of  science 
has  been  used  in 
preparing  the  means 
of  passing  time 
pleasantly ;  a  hand- 
some Art  Gallery 
and  Pavilion  have 
been  erected,  while 
the  beautiful  elec- 
tric light,  thrown 
through  white  and 
colored  glasses  upon 
dancing  fountains 
of  water,  and  called 
the  Electric  Fountains,  gives  at  night  a  magical  effect  seldom 
witnessed.  The  grounds  are  illuminated  each  evening  by  the 
electric  light,  and  one  edge  of  the  American  Fall  and  Rapids  is 
also  illuminated.  Although  mainly  the  result  of  artificial  aids  to 
the  natural  scenery  of  the  Falls,  it  is  a  most  enjoyable  park,  and 
as  such  well  worth  a  visit.     The  officers  of  the  Company  are : 


American  Fall,  Prospect  Park. 


NIAGARA  FALLS.  49 

H.  Nielson,  President,  and  D.  J.  Townsend,  Secretary  and 
Treasurer. 

The  charges  for  admission  to  the  park  are:  For  the  day,  25 
cents  ;  including  railway,  50  cents;  for  the  day  and  electric  light, 
40  cents  ;  for  the  evening — electric  light,  25  cents  ;  Canada  and 
return  by  ferry,  50  cents. 

A  few  accidents,  or  rather  suicides,  have  occurred  from  near  this 
point  since  1852.  In  1880  a  man  entered  the  park,  and  after  a  short 
time  jumped  into  the  river  just  near  the  toll  gate,  and  waded  out. 
He  was  swept  downward,  and  those  who  saw  the  act  supposed 
he  was  lost;  but  about  300  feet  from  the  Fall,  and  while  about  50 
feet  from  shore,  he  succeeded  in  getting  a  foothold,  changed  his 
mind,  and  was  safely  aided  to  the  shore. 

He  was  probably  the  only  man  who  ever  got  so  thoroughly 
within  the  power  of  the  Falls,  and  yet  escaped  alive. 


Hew  Suspension  Bridge. 

Next  in  order  comes  the  new  Suspension  Bridge,  below  the 
American  Fall.  It  is  a  Carriage  and  Foot  Bridge,  built  by  two 
companies,  one  Canadian  and  one  American,  in  1872.  The  first 
ropes  were  carried  over  on  the  ice  bridge.  It  is  said  to  be  tne 
longest  suspended  bridge  span  in  the  world,  the  distance  from 
the  shore  end  of  one  tower  to  the  shore  end  of  the  other  being  1,268 
feet,  or,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile. 

The  deflection  of  the  cables  at  centre  is  91  feet  in  summer,  and 
in  winter  88  feet,  making  a  rise  and  fall  of  the  bridge  from  changes 
of  temperature  of  3  feet.  The  length  of  cables  between  anchor- 
ages is  1,828  feet.  Fine  views  can  be  had  from  the  tops  of  the 
towers.  Height  of  the  bridge  above  water,  190  feet.  It  is  capable 
of  carrying  thirteen  times  as  much  as  can  by  any  ordinary  circum- 
stances be  placed  upon  it.  Its  towers  are  100  feet  high.  Charges: 
Each  person,  each  way,  25  cents. 

Visitors  at  Niagara  Falls  usually  cross  to  Canada  via  this  bridge. 
On  reaching  the  Canada  shore,  at  a  point  near  the  Clifton  House, 
one  gets  one  of  the  best  general  views  to  be  obtained  of  Niagara, 
though  personally  we  prefer  the  view  as  we  stand  up  near  the 
edge  of  the  Falls. 
4 


.50 


NIAGARA  FALLS.  51 

Near  Table  Rock  is  a  museum  containing  a  very  full  and  very 
fine  collection  of  all  sorts  of  curiosities  usually  found  in  such  a 
place.     Admission  to  museum  and  gardens,  50  cents. 


©ABLE   F{OGl{. 

One  of  the  most  famous  points  about  Niagara  in  the  old  times, 
now  gone  forever,  was  Table  Rock.  This  was  on  the  Canada 
side,  about  ten  rods  below  the  Falls,  and  was  simply  a  huge 
ledge  of  rock  overhanging  the  precipice. 

Table  Rock  was  originally  very  large,  but  its  form  and  dimen- 
sions were  changed  by  frequent  and  violent  disruptions.  In 
July,  1818,  a  mass  broke  off  160  feet  in  length,  and  from  30  to 
40  feet  in  width.  December  9,  1828,  three  immense  portions, 
reaching  under  the  Horseshoe  Fall,  fell  ' '  with  a  shock  like  an 
earthquake. "  In  the  summer  of  1829,  another  large  mass  fell  off, 
and  June  26,  1850,  a  piece  200  feet  long  and  60  feet  deep  fell,  the 
last  piece  of  the  table.  Those  who  wish  to  go  under  the  Horse- 
shoe Fall  can  descend  a  road  cut  from  the  museum  to  the  foot  of 
the  bank.  Dresses  can  be  procured  and  guides  obtained  to  pass 
under  Table  Rock.  Ascertain  definitely  the  charge,  and  that 
there  are  to  be  no  extras,  before  starting. 

It  was  on  Table  Rock  that  Mrs.  Sigourney  wrote  her  spirited 
'  'Apostrophe  to  Niagara. "  Standing  right  at  the  edge  of  the  water, 
just  where  it  pours  over,  a  grander  or  more  imposing  sight  can  not 
well  be  imagined.  Below  lies  the  Niagara,  its  waters  boiling  and 
seething  after  the  plunge,  and  for  fully  a  thousand  feet  from  the 
base  of  the  Falls,  as  white  as  milk;  above  are  the  Rapids,  rushing 
directly  toward  you:  and  in  the  midst  of  these  surroundings  man 
feels  his  own  littleness  and  dependence. 

The  Terrapin  Rocks,  as  we  have  said  before,  are  the  very  centre 
of  Niagara  ;  no  spot  can  surpass  it.  Next  to  that,  we  think,  the 
point  we  have  just  described  is  the  best. 

One  should  visit  Canada  in  the  afternoon;  for  the  sun  is  then  at 
your  back,  and  its  full  glory  is  thrown  on  the  opposite  Falls,  and 
in  the  afternoon  alone  can  rainbows  be  seen  from  the  Canadr, 
side. 


52  NIAGARA    FALLS. 


Burning  Spring. 

Following  along  the  river  bank,  one  crosses  to  Cedar  Island,  on 
which  is  an  observator}T,  or  pagoda,  and  skirting  along  the  Rapids 
for  about  a  mile,  with  as  fine  scenery  as  Niagara  can  afford,  you 
reach  the  beautiful  Clark  Hill  Islands,  three  in  number,  and 
connected  by  beautiful  suspension  bridges  erected  in  1878.  The 
scenery  here  is  grand,  each  turn  bringing  you  to  some  new  feature 
or  bit  of  nature  ;  but  the  main  attraction  is  the  Burning  Spring, 
which  is  on  the  edge  of  the  river  and  where  the  current  runs  forty 
miles  an  hour. 

The  spring  was  known  and,  tradition  says,  worshiped  by  the 
Indians,  who  considered  it  as  one  form  of  the  Great  Spirit.  The 
water  of  the  spring  is  highly  charged  with  sulphuretted  h}Tdrogen 
gas,  which  when  lit  emits  a  pale  blue  light.  This  natural  jet  of  gas 
is  exhibited  in  a  darkened  room  for  effect,  and  runs  up  flames  to 
about  4  feet  in  height.  Glasses  of  the  gaseous  water  are  given 
to  visitors,  and  it  is  said  to  possess  rare  medicinal  properties. 
This  spring  consists  of  a  jet  of  natural  gas,  emitted  from  the 
subterranean  rock  through  artificial  fissures,  the  method  of 
collecting  and  burning  the  gas  being  also  shown.  From  the 
appearance  of  the  flame,  it  would  be  just  to  suppose  that  large 
and  valuable  coal  fields  exist  under  this  property,  and  at  some 
future  time  the  natural  forces  of  the  current  may  be  used  to 
develop  that  interest. 

The  admission  to  the  whole  is  50  cents. 

On  the  bank  above,  near  this  spot,  July  5,  1814,  was  fought  the 
battle  of  Chippewa. 

&5hi^lpooij,  Canada  Side. 

Driving  back  along  the  edge  of  the  river,  past  the  new  Suspen- 
sion Bridge,  and  two  miles  more  along  the  edge  of  the  bluff,  we 
reach  the  Whirlpool,  Canada  side,  which  overlooks  the  boiling 
maelstrom.  From  here  one  looks  down  into  the  Whirlpool  itself, 
while  directly  away  from  him  winds  the  Niagara  till  it  is  lost  in 
Lake  Ontario  beyond.     You  can  descend  by  car  to  the  water's 


NIAGARA  FALLS.  53 

edge,  obtaining  grand  views  of  the  Rapids,  as  they  enter  the 
Whirlpool,  and  also  of  this  wonderful  basin  itself.  From  here 
Brock's  Monument  is  visible  on  a  clear  day.     Admission,  50  cents. 


ft5Hii^iiPOOii  Rapids  I^ap^. 

In  the  reach  of  the  river  below  the  old  Suspension  Bridge,  is 
what  is  generally  known  as  the  Whirlpool  Rapids  Park  (Canada 
side).  It  comprises  the  natural  uplands  of  the  river  bank,  which, 
at  this  point,  are  250  feet  high,  as  well  as  a  road  at  the  base  of  the 
cliff,  which  follows  the  course  of  the  river,  and  has  been  exca- 
vated from  the  rock.  In  the  warm  days  of  summer  this  is  a  most 
delightfully  cool  and  shady  retreat,  the  cliff  forming  a  natural  pro- 
tection from  the  rays  of  the  sun,  while  the  immediate  presence  of 
the  swift-rolling  waters  insures  a  perennial  coolness.  Two  means 
of  access  to  the  water's  edge  are  provided,  the  first  being  a  series 
of  steps  forming  a  long  flight  of  stairs,  and  the  other  a  unique 
inclined  railway  operating  two  cars  running  b}^  the  specific  gravity 
of  water  in  the  tanks  under  each  car,  filled  from  a  spring  at  the 
top  of  the  cliff  and  emptied  on  the  arrival  of  the  car  at  the  foot  of 
the  incline.  The  ascent  or  descent  is  made  in  1£  minutes,  the 
loaded  car  from  above  being  the  motive  power  used  to  hoist  the 
lighter  car  from  below.  The  visit  to  this  Park,  including  railway, 
costs  50  cents.  Nowhere  else  can  so  perfect  an  idea  of  the  enor- 
mous power  of  the  river  be  obtained.  Rushing  through  the 
narrow  defiles,  the  water  here  meets  with  such  restriction  as  to 
make  it  leap  in  some  places  to  a  height  of  20  feet,  the  rolling  surges 
of  the  stream  being  exactly  similar  to  those  of  the  ocean  in  a 
storm. 

Taylor  Island,  noted  in  1881  as  the  spot  where  some  dogs,  after- 
ward rescued,  were  temporarily  in  danger  of  dying  from  starva- 
tion, is  exactly  opposite,  on  the  American  side.  It  is  also  well  to 
add  here  a  brief  mention  of  the  excellent  photographic  arrange- 
ments of  this  park — persons  or  parties  can  here  be  photographed 
with  the  Rapipls  in  the  background,  the  picture  making  one  of  the 
most  interesting  and  noteworthy  obtainable. 


54  NIAGARA  FALLS. 


Old  Suspension  Bpjdge. 

The  Railroad  Suspension  Bridge,  more  commonly  call  the  Old 
Bridge,  is  two  miles  below  the  Falls,  is  800  feet  long,  and  spans 
230  feet  above  its  waters,  one  of  the  most  turbulent  streams  on 
the  globe,  whose  current  just  below  flows  at  the  rate  of  30  miles 
an  hour.  It  has  two  distinct  roadways,  the  one  above  for  trains, 
the  one  below  for  carriages  and  foot  passengers.  It  is  owned  by 
two  stock  companies  and  cost  $500,000.  It  was  built  under  the 
superintendence  of  J.  A.  Roebling,  and  finished  in  1858. 

The  following  are  the  dimensions  : 
Length  of  span,  .....  822  feet. 

Height  of  tower  above  rock,  American  side,        .  .      88    " 

"  "  "        "      Canada  side,      .  .  78    " 

"  "  "      floor  of  railway,   .  .  .      60    " 

Number  of  wire  cables,  ....  4 

Diameter  of  each  cable,     .....      10£   in. 
Number  of  No.  9  wires  in  each  cable,  .  .       3,659 

Ultimate  aggregate  strength  of  cables,     .  .  12,403  tons. 

It  is  regarded  as  a  great  triumph  of  engineering  skill.  9,000 
miles  of  wire  are  employed  in  the  four  cables.  The  first  string 
was  carried  across  the  chasm  by  means  of  a  kite,  and  then 
heavier  ropes  were  dragged  across,  till  the  cables  themselves  thus 
performed  the  passage.  Charges  :  Each  person,  over  and  back, 
25  cents. 

^hi^lpool  Rapids,  ^Imepjgan  Side. 

The  effect  of  changing  the  point  of  view  is  nowhere  better 
illustrated  than  in  the  case  of  the  Rapids  above  named.  Seen 
from  the  Canada  side,  they  have  all  the  advantages  of  cool,  shady 
walks  and  uplands,  as  it  relates  to  the  position  of  the  sun  in  the 
warmest  portions  of  the  day.  But  as  seen  from  the  American  side, 
they  have  a  peculiar  charm  in  the  fierce  glint  of  the  sunlight 
illuminating  the  crests  of  the  flood,  and  in  the  emerald  and  opal 
translucence  of  the  waters  as  they  pass  in  their  swift  career. 

In  spite  of  the  disadvantage  of  the  sun  being  directly  opposite, 
there  is  no  inconvenience  from  heat,  as  the  near  proximity  of  the 
rolling  river  allows  visitors  to  enjoy  at  the  same  time  the  benefi- 
cial effects  of  a  sun  bath  and  the  soothing  influence  of  the  cooling 


NIAGARA  FALI8. 


55 


action  of  the  waters.  Here,  descending  by  the  Double  Elevator, 
which  runs  down  the  perpendicular  face  of  the  cliff,  we  reach  the 
sloping  bank,  and  by  a  foot-path  we  descend  to  the  water's  edge. 
Here  we  see  where  the  entire  volume  of  water  from  the  Upper 
Lakes  discharges  itself  through  a  gorge,  confining  but  intensifying 
its  power,  and  producing  such  a  conflict  between  the  natural  forces 


as  to  recall  vividly  the  old  proposition  of  an  irresistible  force 
meeting  with  an  immovable  object.  In  1861  the  little  steamboat, 
"Maid  of  the  Mist,"  under  the  command  of  Capt.  J.  R.  Robinson, 
navigated  this  Rapid,  and  passed  safely,  but  not  without  disastrous 
effect,  through  the  Whirlpool  below,  and  it  is  safe  to  hazard  the 
opinion  that  her  wheelsman  was  the  first  and  last  navigator  of  the 
torrent  or  race,  it  being  worthy,  although  properly  a  river,  of 
either  designation. 


56  NIAGARA   FALLS. 


©HE   05HI^LP00L. 

When  it  is  remembered  that  about  100,000,000  tons  of  water 
pass  over  the  Falls  every  hour,  and  that  this  quantity  is  compelled 
to  pass  between  steep  cliffs  to  a  point  about  two  miles  distant  from 
the  Falls,  where  the  course  of  the  river  turns  abruptly  at  an  angle 
of  45  degrees,  it  will  be  understood,  even  by  those  who  have  never 
witnessed  the  scene,  that  such  a  terrific  force  must  cause  a  fearful 
commotion  in  its  rocky  bed . 

In  point  of  fact,  the  power  of  the  Falls  confined  in  these  narrow 
limits  raises  the  centre  of  the  billowy  flood  to  a  height  of  from  10 
to  40  feet.  It  is  assumable  that  the  earth  does  not  afford  another 
spectacle  of  contention  of  natural  forces  parallel  to  this.  Descend- 
ing from  the  Falls  proper  in  an  almost  resistless  torrent,  this  river, 
called  by  the  Indians  the  "Father  of  Waters,"  is  suddenly 
checked  by  its  rock-bound  barriers,  causing  it  to  make  a  ceaseless 
passage  around  the  pool,  from  which  it  can  escape  only  after 
having  made  the  entire  circuit,  and  only  then  by  passing  through, 
over  and  under  the  ever-recurring  accession  of  waters  in  the  est- 
uary of  the  channel  proper. 

The  effect  of  this  combination  of  forces  can  better  be  imagined 
than  described,  yet  a  very  good  idea  of  it  can  be  obtained  from 
the  statement  that  it  reverses  the  usual  order  of  things,  in  which, 
the  axiom  says,  "  water  finds  its  own  level."  Here  water  finds  no 
level,  but  is  forced  and  sustained  in  dome  form,  the  surface  of 
the  pool  being  actually  the  segment  of  a  circle. 

At  the  outlet  of  the  Whirlpool  the  river  is  only  25  rods  across, 
and  a  strong  man  can  throw  a  stone  from  one  nation  to  the  other. 
The  Whirlpool  is  a  vast  basin  or  amphitheatre,  with  an  ill-propor- 
tioned opening  at  right  angles  with  the  river  above  ;  this  opening 
is  to  the  right  as  you  have  your  back  to  the  Falls,  and  is  compara- 
tively narrow.  The  pool  is  shut  in  on  all  sides,  save  the  opening 
mentioned,  by  rocky  cliffs  350  feet  high,  whose  sides  facing  the 
river  are  quite  smooth  and  perpendicular.  The  basin  containing 
this  pool  is  nearly  circular,  and  together  with  the  water  forms  a 
very  picturesque  scene.  But  as  to  the  pool  itself  it  must  be 
acknowledged  that  many  are  disappointed  with  its  appearance. 
The  outlet  seems  inadequate,  but  has  answered  for  thousands  of 


NIAGARA  FALLS.  57 

years.  The  old  outlet,  as  geologists  claim,  is  still  to  be  traced 
almost  opposite  to  where  the  river  pours  in.  It  is  simply  the 
trace  of  what  once  was  a  gorge  through  which  the  river  ran  to 
Lake  Ontario  and  over  twenty  miles  to  the  west  of  its  present 
location.  In  bygone  ages  it  has  been  completely  filled  up.  The 
depth  of  the  Whirlpool  is  enormous,  and  its  force  and  suction 
immense.  It  is  boiling  and  eddying  incessantly.  Logs  twenty  feet 
long  are  drawn  into  eddies,  and  made  to  stand  on  end  like  a  ship's 
masts.  Its  waters  revolve  constantly  ;  its  surface  is  never  quiet. 
Bodies  sometimes  float  in  the  water  for  two  or  three  months  before 
they  are  drawn  into  just  the  right  eddy  whence  to  find  the  outlet, 
which  is  at  right  angles  with  the  entrance. 

The  land  adjoining  the  Whirlpool  on  the  American  side  is 
owned  by  the  De  Yeaux  College,  an  Episcopalian  establishment, 
first  started  by  the  liberality  of  Judge  De  Yeaux,  in  1855. 

The  college  is  one  of  the  finest  institutions  of  its  class  on  this 
continent,  and  is  shown  to  visitors  on  application.  From  its 
grounds  a  zig-zag  path  permits  a  near  inspection  of  the  mighty 
flood  as  it  passes  through  the  pool,  for  a  remuneration,  going  to 
the  funds  of  the  college,  of  50  cents. 

As  a  large  sum  of  money  has  been  expended  in  the  effort  to 
provide  a  means  of  access  to  the  Whirlpool,  obviating  the  natural 
dangers  of  falling  from  such  a  height  or  of  descending  to  the 
river's  edge,  the  charge  ought  properly  to  be  regarded  as  of  little 
account. 


Ferry  Landing,  Canadian  Side. 


58 


NIAGARA   FALLS.  59 


beiapboni  na     I.    oirit 


(THESE  places  just  given  embrace  all  that  is  usually  meant  by 
'    Xiagara  Falls.     These  are  the  points  from  which  the  best 
views  of  the  Falls,  of  the  Rapids  and  of  the  Gorge,  can  be 
obtained. 

But  the  Falls  are  in  the  centre  of  an  interesting  territory,  and 
we  shall  now  note  all  those  points  within  a  radius  of  about  20 
miles,  which  have  either  an  historical  or  a  commercial  interest. 

We  shall  first  take  the  American  bank  of  the  river,  from  its 
source  to  its  mouth,  and  give  the  names  and  incidents  connected 
with  each  place,  and  we  shall  then  proceed  in  a  like  manner  with 
the  Canadian  side. 

Pmei^igan  Side. 

Buffalo,  at  the  source  of  the  river,  is  the  eleventh  city  of  the 
Union  in  point  of  population,  which  in  1880  was  180,000.  It  is 
famous  as  the  western  terminus  of  the  Erie  Canal,  and  also  as  the 
chief  Eastern  port  of  lake  navigation.  It  is  situated  about  22 
miles  from  the  Falls. 

Black  Rock  is  a  suburb  of  Buffalo,  where  in  1812  Gen.  Alexander 
Smyth,  of  Virginia,  collected  about  5,000  men,  who  responded  to 
his  bombastic  circular,  asking  all  to  retrieve  the  nation's  honor  and 
share  in  the  danger  and  glory  of  an  invasion  of  Canada.  Nothing 
ever  came  of  the  matter  ;  there  was  no  invasion,  and  the  force  was 
disbanded. 

Grand  Island,  distant  3  miles  at  the  south  end  from  Buffalo 
and  3  miles  at  the  north  end  from  the  Falls,  is  12  miles  in  length 
and  7  in  breadth.     The  land  is  fertile,  and  much  of  it  is  under 


60  NIAGARA  FALLS. 

cultivation.  It  was  at  White  Haven,  on  this  island,  that  the  late 
Major  Mordecai  M.  Noah,  of  New  York,  designed  to  build  the 
"  City  of  Ararat,"  as  a  place  of  refuge  for  the  scattered  tribes  of 
Israel.  In  1825,  he  even  went  so  far  as  to  lay  the  corner-stone 
amid  great  pomp,  and  to  erect  a  monument  to  commemorate  the 
occasion.  The  monument  is  still  standing,  in  a  fair  state  of  pres- 
ervation. 

Tonawanda,  11  miles  above  the  Falls,  is  a  small  village,  famous 
as  a  lumber  market,  holding  the  second  place  in  America,  or  next 
to  Chicago,  in  the  amount  of  lumber  handled. 

The  village  of  La  Salle,  5  miles  above  the  Falls,  at  the  mouth  of 
Cayuga  Creek,  was  named  after  Chevalier  Robert  de  La  Salle, 
who  at  this  point,  in  1679,  built  his  vessel,  the  now  forgotten 
Griffin. 

At  the  foot  of  Grand  Island  lies  Buckhorn  Island,  with  an  area 
of  about  250  acres.  Between  these  two,  and  about  3  miles  above 
the  Falls,  is  an  arm  of  the  river  called  Burnt  Ship  Bay  from  a 
circumstance  connected  with  the  war  of  1759.  The  garrison  at 
Schlosser  had  already  made  a  brave  resistance  to  one  attack  of  the 
English,  and  were  preparing  for  another,  when,  disheartened  by 
the  news  of  the  fall  of  Quebec,  they  decided  to  destroy  the  two 
armed  vessels  containing  their  military  stores.  Accordingly,  they 
brought  them  to  this  bay  and  burned  them.  Portions  of  the 
vessels  are  visible  under  water  even  at  this  day. 

Just  below,  on  the  American  shore,  two  miles  above  the  Falls,  is 
Schlosser  Landing,  the  end  of  the  portage  from  Lewiston.  This 
terminus  was  gradually  fortified  till  it  became  a  fort,  called  Fort 
de  Portage.  This  was  burned  by  Joncaire  on  his  retreat  in  1759. 
In  1761,  Capt.  Schlosser,  of  the  British  army,  rebuilt  it  stronger 
than  ever.  He  named  it  after  himself,  and  died  there.  Here,  in 
1837,  the  Steamer  Caroline  was  attacked,  set  on  fire  and  sent  over 
the  Falls.  The  patriot  movement  being  put  down  in  Canada, 
the  leaders  established  themselves  on  Navy  Island.  Visitors 
thereto  being  numerous,  the  Caroline,  a  small  steamer,  was 
brought  down  from  Buffalo  as  a  private  venture,  it  was  believed, 
to  serve  as  a  ferry  or  freight  boat.  The  Canadians,  thinking  the 
boat  was  chartered  by  the  patriots  for  offensive  operations  against 
Canada,  at  midnight,  December  29,  1837,  dispatched  a  chosen 
band  of  men  under  Capt.  Drew,  in  eight  boats,  to  destroy  her.    As 


NIAGARA  FALLS.  61 

she  lay  at  Schlosser  dock,  she  was  boarded  by  these  parties. 
Those  on  board,  crew  as  well  as  some  who,  unable  to  get  beds  in 
the  little  hotel,  had  got  berths  on  board,  were  attacked.  All  but 
one  escaped  to  shore,  he  being  shot  dead.  The  gallant  band  hav- 
ing thus  succeeded  in  their  attack,  set  the  vessel  on  fire,  towed 
her  out  into  the  stream  and  let  her  drift.  It  was  a  grand  sight. 
A  mass  of  flames,  she  floated  down  the  river  and  entered  the 
Rapids,  but  before  she  reached  the  head  of  the  island,  the  water 
conquered  and  extinguished  the  flames.  The  smoke-stack,  it  is 
said,  still  lies  at  the  bottom  of  the  river,  near  Schlosser. 

The  old  stone  chimney  on  the  river  bank,  1£  miles  above  the 
Falls,  was  built  in  1750,  and  was  the  first  stone  structure  erected 
in  this  part  of  the  country.  It  was  the  chimney  of  the  barracks 
of  the  French  Fort,  called  "Little  Fort,"  which  was  burned  by 
Joncaire,  when  compelled  to  retreat  in  1759.  It  was  rebuilt  two 
years  afterward  as  an  adjunct  to  Fort  Schlosser.  The  chimney 
now  stands  in  excellent  preservation. 

Next  come  the  Falls  themselves,  fully  described  before. 

Three  and  a  half  miles  below  the  Falls,  on  the  American  side, 
is  the  Devil's  Hole,  a  terribly  gloomy  and  rugged  chasm  in  the 
bank  of  the  river,  between  100  and  200  feet  deep.  Overhanging 
this  dark  cavern,  is  a  perpendicular  precipice,  from  the  top  of 
which  falls  a  small  stream,  usually  dry  in  summer,  named  the 
"Bloody  Run,"  which  takes  its  name  from  being  turned  to  a 
bloody  stream  during  the  fight  described  below. 

This  chasm  was  cut  by  this  stream  continuously  flowing  into  it, 
aided  naturally  by  the  enormous  force  of  the  Falls,  when  they 
were  at  this  point.  During  the  French  war  in  1765,  a  detachment 
of  the  British  were  decoyed  into  an  ambush  here  by  the  French 
and  Indians.  The  war-whoop  of  the  savages  was  the  first  indica- 
tion of  danger.  Officers,  men,  women,  children  and  wagons 
were  pushed  over  the  bank  into  the  chasm  below.  250  people 
were  killed.  Only  two  persons  escaped,  a  drummer,  who  was 
caught  in  a  branch  of  a  tree  in  his  fall,  and  John  Stedman  (the 
same  who  put  the  goats  upon  Goat  Island),  who  spurred  his 
horse  and  ran  the  gauntlet  of  bullets  to  a  place  of  safety. 

The  Tuscarora  Indian  Reservation  is  7  miles  northeast  from 
the  Falls.  Driven  from  their  original  seats  in  North  Carolina, 
this  tribe  came  to  New  York  in  1712,  and  became  merged  in  the 


62  NIAGARA   FALLS. 

confederacy  of  the  Iroquois.  In  the  Revolutionary  war,  part  of 
them  favored  the  English,  and  part  remained  neutral.  Those  of 
the  Tuscaroras  and  Oneidas  who  had  been  allies  of  the  English 
left  Oneida  Lake,  came  down  the  Oswego  river,  and  coasted 
along  Lake  Ontario  to  the  British  garrison  at  Fort  Niagara.  In 
the  spring,  part  of  them  returned  and  part  of  them  took  posses- 
sion of  a  mile  square  upon  the  mountain  ridge,  given  them  by  the 
Senecas,  one  tribe  of  the  Six  Nations.  The  Holland  Laud  Com- 
pany gave  them  two  square  miles  more,  and  in  1804  sold  them 
4,329  acres,  this  forming  the  estate  upon  which  the  Tuscaroras  are 
now  located.  As  the  home  of  that  anomaly,  a  civilized  Indian, 
it  is  one  of  the  curiosities  of  this  locality,  and  well  worth  a  visit. 

The  bluff,  or  top  of  the  mountain,  6  miles  from  the  Falls,  so 
geologists  tell  us,  was  the  shore  of  Lake  Ontario,  a  fact  which 
seems  to  be  undisputed.  Near  here  are  the  remains  of  old  Fort 
Grey.  Lewiston,  7  miles  below  the  Fall,  was  named  in  honor  of 
Gov.  Lewis  of  New  York.  It  is  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain.  La 
Salle  built  a  cabin  of  palisades  here  in  1678,  and  this  was  the  com- 
mencement of  the  portage,  whose  upper  terminus  was  Fort 
Schlosser,  and  which  passed  over  nearly  the  present  roads,  a  part 
of  which  is  still  called  the  Portage  Road.  Up  the  mountain  side 
here  was  built  the  first  railroad  in  the  United  States.  It  was  built 
entirely  of  wood,  the  rails  being  broad  and  flat.  The  car  ran  on 
runners  instead  of  wheels,  It  was  raised  and  lowered  by  a 
windlass,  and  carried  heavy  goods  up  and  down.  It  was  a  rude 
work,  but  answered  its  purpose  perfectly. 

Fourteen  miles  from  the  Falls,  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  stands 
Fort  Niagara,  which  was  established  as  a  trading  post  by  La  Salle 
in  1678.  In  1687,  De  Nonville  built  the  fort  proper  for  the  prose- 
cution of  a  war  on  the  Iroquois  in  defense  of  the  Indian  allies  of 
the  Western  country.  The  next  year  it  was  abandoned,  but  in 
1825  was  rebuilt  in  stone,  by  the  consent  of  the  Iroquois.  The 
English  General  Prideaux  was  killed  here  in  1759,  and  after  the 
battle  the  French  surrendered  it  to  Sir  William  Johnson.  It  is 
now  a  United  States  fort,  regularly  garrisoned.  Here  is  the 
famous  dungeon  where,  in  1824,  Morgan,  of  anti-Masonic  fame, 
was  said  to  have  been  confined,  and  whence  it  was  claimed  he 
was  taken  to  be  drowned  in  the  lake,  about  a  mile  from  the  fort. 


NIAGARA  FALLS.  63 


(Canadian  Side. 

Fort  Erie  is  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  on  Lake  Erie,  22  miles 
from  the  Falls.  From  the  Fort,  on  Sept.  17,  1814,  the  Americans 
made  the  famous  sortie,  defeating  the  British  besiegers  and  com- 
pelling them  to  raise  the  siege. 

Navy  Island,  three  miles  above  the  Falls,  has  an  area  of  340 
acres,  and  belongs  to  Canada,  and  is  the  only  large  island  in  the 
river  that  they  own.  It  is  famous,  mainly,  as  the  headquarters  of 
the  Patriots  during  the  Patriot  war  in  1837. 

The  village  of  Chippewa  is  two  miles  above  the  Falls.  In  the 
field  south  of  it,  on  July  5,  1814,  was  fought  the  battle  of  Chip- 
pewa, which  resulted  in  a  victory  for  the  Americans. 

Lundy's  Lane  Battle  Ground  is  one  mile  west  of  the  Falls.  On 
July  25,  1814,  the  decisive  battle  of  the  war  between  the  United 
States  and  England  was  fought  here,  the  loss  on  both  sides  in 
killed  and  wounded  being  1,800,  the  Americans  being  victorious . 

The  village  of  Drummondville  is  about  one-half  mile  west  of 
the  Falls,  and  is  so  called  in  honor  of  General  Drummond. 

Brock's  Monument  is  on  Queenston  Heights,  6  miles  below  the 
Falls.  It  is  a  handsome  shaft,  erected  to  perpetuate  the  memory 
of  General  Isaac  Brock,  who  fell  here  in  1813.  The  first  monu- 
ment was  built  in  1826,  and  was  126  feet  high.  This  was 
destroyed  by  explosion  on  the  night  of  the  17th  of  April,  1840, 
and  was  replaced  by  the  present  structure  in  1853.  It  is  185  feet 
in  height,  the  base  being  40  feet  square  and  30  feet  high.  Four 
lions,  facing  the  cardinal  points  of  the  compass,  rest  on  this  as 
well  as  on  a  pedestal  16  feet  square  by  10  feet  high,  ornamented 
in  alto-relievo  by  lions'  heads  alternated  by  wreaths.  The  shaft  is 
of  freestone,  75  feet  high,  by  30  feet  in  circumference,  having  a 
Corinthian  capital  10  feet  in  height,  carrying  in  relief  a  statue  of 
the  Goddess  of  War.  Over  this  is  a  round  dome  7  feet  in  height, 
surmounted  by  Brock's  statue,  which  can  be  reached  by  250  spiral 
steps,  starting  from  the  interior  of  the  base. 

The  Suspension  Bridge,  the  third  one  of  the  four  ever  built 
hereabouts,  was  at  Queenston  Heights.  It  was  built  in  1857,  and 
was  a  graceful  structure.     A  terrible  gale  tore  up  its  roadway  and 


64  NIAGARA   FALLS. 

loosened  its  guys,  leaving  it  a  dangling  -wreck.  As  it  was  never 
a  very  paving  investment,  it  was  not  rebuilt. 

Queenston,  a  small  village  just  below  Brock's  Monument,  was 
so  called  in  honor  of  Queen  Charlotte.  * 

The  village  of  Niagara,  near  the  ruins  of  Fort  George,  is  older, 
according  to  Marshall,  than  any  settlement  on  the  eastern  bank. 
In  1792,  it  became  the  residence  of  the  Lieutenant  Governor  of 
Canada,  and  the  first  session  of  the  Parliament  of  the  Upper  Prov- 
ince was  held  there.  It  is  on  the  site  of  the  village  of  Newark, 
burned  by  General  McClure  in  1813. 

At  the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  just  below  the  village,  is  old 
Fort  George,  captured  by  the  Americans  —  Gen.  Dearborn  com- 
manding—  in  1812.  It  was  destroyed  by  Gen.  McClure  the  next 
year,  and  has  never  been  rebuilt. 

Fort  Mississaga,  now  only  used  as  a  summer  camp,  is  just 
below. 

Welland  Canal,  with  its  new  waterway,  and  grand  locks  just 
finished,  runs  almost  parallel  with  the  Niagara  river,  8  miles 
west  of  it. 

flDDENDA. 

The  magnetic  declination  at  Niagara  Falls  is  2°  26 '  west. 

Various  estimates  place  the  number  of  years  required  by  the 
Falls  to  have  cut  their  way  from  Lewiston  to  their  present  loca- 
tion at  from  35,000  to  72,000.  The  latter  number  is  probably  but 
a  fraction  of-  the  great  age  of  the  coralline  limestone  over  which 
the  water  flows. 

The  Iroquois  was  the  name  given  to  the  confederacy  of  tribes 
which  banded  together  against  their  enemies.  These  tribes  were 
originally  five  in  number,  and  were  known  as  the  Five  Nations  : 
The  Senecas,  Oneidas,  Onondagas,  Cayugas  and  Mohawks.  In 
1712  .the  Tuscaroras  were  included,  making  the  Six  Nations. 
To-day,  though  stripped  of  their  lands  and  power,  they  retain 
their  organization,  and  keep  up  their  rites  and  ceremonies.  Their 
meetings,  or  Council  Fires,  held  annually,  have  been  removed 
from  Oneida,  their  original  seat,  to  Tonawanda. 


NIAGARA   FALLS.  65 


est  ions   to     Xisitors 


[HESE  constitute  Niagara  Falls  and  their  surroundings;  and, 
in  conclusion,  let  us  say  :  If  you  come  to  stay  only  a  day, 
don't  think  you  can  see  everything  named  above  unless  at 
a  large  expense.  If  you  come  to  see  Niagara  Falls,  insist  on 
seeing  them  first,  then  select  from  the  outside  places  any  that 
you  desire.  If  you  are  going  to  spend  a  week  here,  and  certainly 
to  appreciate  and  understand  Niagara  one  should  stay  that  long, 
buy  a  season  ticket  to  the  two  or  three  points.  Visit  them  daily, 
and  spend  plenty  of  time  at  them.  Take  in  one  of  the  other 
attractions  each  day.  By  so  doing  you  will  appreciate  them  all, 
and  will  not  go  away  feeling  that  you  have  been  beaten  out  of 
your  money,  or  that  Niagara  is  such  a  very  expensive  place. 

If,  after  viewing  the  real  object  of  interest,  the  Falls  them- 
selves, the  visitor  chooses  to  extend  his  excursions  into  the  sur- 
rounding country,  he  will  be  amply  repaid  for  his  excursions;  but 
he  should  distinctly  understand  that  these  are  not  the  Falls,  but 
the  country  about  the  Falls ;  spots  which  are  pleasant,  but  not 
necessary  for  him  who  comes  simply  to  view  the  great  wonder  of 
Niagara,  to  visit. 

The  charge  of  $1.50  per  hour  for  carriage,  is  as  cheap  as  at  any 
place  in  the  country,  and  it  is  often  possible  to  make  a  bargain  at 
a  much  cheaper  rate.  The  difference  between  the  real  state  of 
affairs  as  they  exist  at  the  Falls,  and  the  distorted  one  usually 
given — namely,  excessive  tolls,  high  carriage  hire,  outrageous 
prices,  etc. ,  etc.  —  is  an  enormous  one.  One  can  spend  a  large 
sum  of  money  in  a  day;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  one  can  get  a 
view,  and  at  some  points  (especially  Goat  Island)  several  excellent 
views,  of  Niagara  Falls,  for  50  cents. 

5 


66  NIAGARA  FALLS. 

At  no  place  that  we  know  of  are  such  favorable  terms  given  to 
excursionists,  thousands  coining  annually  on  excursions,  and  see- 
ing, we  may  say,  everything  for  a  very  small  sum. 

The  visitor  should  remember,  that  in  crossing  to  Canada,  he 
passes  beyond  the  jurisdiction  of  the  village  trustees,  and  that  if 
he  is  wronged  by  people  there,  he  has,  on  the  American  side,  no 
method  of  redress.  He  should  remember,  also,  that  upon  all 
goods  brought  into  Canada  there  are  large  duties. 

With  these  few  words,  we  deem  the  visitor  amply  informed. 
"We  recommend  him  to  use  the  same  good  sense  here  that  he  uses 
at  home ;  to  inquire  the  price  of  an  article  before  he  buys  it,  and, 
if  too  costly,  to  let  it  alone,  rather  than  buy  it  and  then  go  away 
grumbling  ;  to  inquire  the  price  of  a  carriage  before  he  engages 
it,  and  to  understand  that  in  no  case  is  the  charge  more  than 
$1.50  per  hour.  He  should  expect  to  pay  a  fair  price  for  all  he 
receives,  not  to  be  continually  trying  to  cheapen  everything  ;  for, 
as  surely  as  he  endeavors  to  do  so,  so  surely  will  the  advantage  be 
taken  of  him.  Any  gentleman  or  lady  who  will  carefully  read 
and  follow  the  above  advice  and  directions,  will  never  have 
reason  to  regret  a  visit  to  Niagara  Falls. 


In  03intei^. 

To  thoroughly  study,  understand  and  appreciate  Niagara  Falls 
one  should  see  them  both  in  summer  and  winter,  for  these  two 
pictures,  so  utterly  unlike,  combine  to  make  the  perfect  whole. 
In  summer,  the  greatest  single  beauty  is  the  deep  green  color  of 
the  water,  which,  in  the  winter,  is  changed  to  a  muddy  yellow. 
But  then  the  glorious  ice  scenery  fully  makes  up  for  the  loss. 
The  trees  are  all  covered  with  an  ice  foliage,  bending  and  break- 
ing under  their  loads  of  ice,  which  covers  every  twig  and  limb. 
This  ice  is  formed  layer  by  layer,  as  the  spray  falls  and  freezes  ;  is 
as  white  as  marble  and  as  hard  as  flint.  The  ice  bridge,  which 
fills  the  narrow  part  of  the  river  at  the  Ferry,  the  ice  mountains 
formed  at  each  end  of  the  American  Fall,  and  the  large  icicles 
hanging  from  the  banks  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  combine  to 
make  it  a  unique  picture.  When  the  scenery  is  so  grand,  and 
\t  usually  is  during  our  cold  snap  after  the  January  thaw,  it  is 


NIAGARA  FALLS.  67 

well  worth  a  visit,  even  if  one  has  to  travel  a  long  way.  If  you 
can  see  Niagara  but  once,  it  had  better  be  in  winter  than  in 
summer.  The  various  photographs,  both  glass  and  paper,  give 
an  excellent  idea  of  Niagara  in  summer,  but  the  winter  views 
are  far  ahead,  both  as  to  faithful  reproduction  and  artistic  work. 
In  these,  as  seen  through  a  stereoscope,  the  beauties  of  the  ice 
formation,  which  are  indescribable  in  words,  are  reproduced  with 
a  wonderful  exactness. 

In  Summer 

Many  people  say  they  prefer  the  view  of  the  Rapids  to  that  of 
the  Falls,  and  surely  the  view  of  the  former,  from  the  Cataract 
Veranda,  from  Goat  Island  Bridge,  from  the  Three  Sisters 
Islands,  and  also  those  views  to  be  had  on  the  way  to  the 
Burning  Springs,  are  unsurpassed  at  Niagara. 

During  the  summer  season,  there  is  plenty  of  amusement  to  be 
found  by  those  who  wish  to  spend  a  few  weeks  here.  The 
fishing  in  the  river,  some  two  or  three  miles  above  the  Falls,  is 
most  excellent.  Black  bass,  muskallonge,  pickerel  and  perch 
abound,  the  bass  fishing  being  especially  good.  Boats  and 
tackle  can  always  be  obtained,  also  the  services  of  a  competent 
boatman,  one  who  is  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  current  of 
the  river  and  the  best  fishing  grounds.  At  the  proper  season  of 
the  year,  on  the  river,  and  in  the  surrounding  country,  there  can 
always  be  found  enough  good  sport  to  satisfy  those  fond  of 
hunting.  In  fact,  Niagara  is  in  the  centre  of  a  territory  where 
woodcock  and  all  sorts  of  snipe  and  duck  abound. 


•>*H"il*S' 


NIAGARA  FALLS.  69 


(©pe   wanti-bieven  Drida 


'I  AGAR  A  RIVER  is  at  length  spanned  in  full  view  of 
the  mighty  cataract  by  the  Michigan  Central's  Canti- 
Lever  Bridge,  and  a  most  beautiful,  graceful  and  stately 
structure  it  is,  while  serving  as  an  enduring  monument  of  engi- 
neering skill  and  marvelous  rapidity  of  construction. 

The  principle  of  the  canti-lever  plan  is  that  of  a  trussed  beam 
supported  at  or  near  its  centre,  with  the  arms  extending  each  way, 
and  one  end  anchored  or  counterweighted  to  provide  for  unequal 
loading,  as  is  shown  to  some  extent  by  the  accompanying  cut. 
In  practice,  it  is  entirely  new,  this  being  the  only  bridge  completed 
upon  this  principle.  The  Firth  of  Forth  Bridge  in  Scotland,  with 
a  clear  span  of  1,600  feet,  is  being  built  upon  this  plan,  and  also 
in  this  country  the  Fraser  River  Bridge,  315  feet  clear  span,  on  the 
Canadian  Pacific.  These  are  the  only  examples  of  this  design 
yet  undertaken,  but  the  principle  especially  recommends  itself  for 
long-span  bridges  that  must  be  erected  without  false  work. 

If  any  person  is  desirous  of  having  a  practical  demonstration 
of  the  operation,  let  him  take  an  old-fashioned  pair  of  steel-yards, 
suspend  from  the  long  arm  of  the  lever  a  light  weight  of,  say, 
10  pounds,  and  from  the  other,  half  a  ton  of  beef.  The  latter 
represents  the  shore  anchorage  of  the  bridge,  and  illustrates  the 
power  which  prevents  depression  at  the  end  of  the  long  arm. 

The  total  weight  of  the  iron  and  steel  entering  into  the  com- 
position of  the  massive  structure  is  3,000  tons.  The  bridge  is  of 
sufficient  width  for  a  double  track,  and  is  built  to  carry  upon  each 
track  at  the  same  time  a  freight  train  of  the  heaviest  kind,  extend- 
ing the  entire  length  of  the  bridge,  headed  by  two  "consolida- 
tion "  engines,  and  to  bear  a  side  pressure  of  thirty  pounds  per 


70 


NIAGARA  FALLS. 


square  foot,  which  pressure  is  produced  by  a  wind  having  a 
velocity  of  75  miles  per  hour.  Under  these  loads  the  structure  is 
strained  to  only  one-fifth  of  its  ultimate  strength.  The  total  length 
of  the  bridge  proper  is  909  feet  and  9  inches,  divided  into  two 
canti-levers  of  395  feet  on  the  Canadian  side,  and  395  feet  on  the 
American  side,  supported  on  steel  towers  arising  from  the  water's 


Sectional  View  of  Canti-Lever  Bridge,  during  Process  of  Construction. 


edge.  A  fixed  span  of  119  feet  and  9  inches  is  suspended  from 
and  connects  the  river  arms  of  canti-levers.  The  clear  span  across 
the  river  is  494  feet  and  9  inches,  being  the  longest  double  track 
truss  span  ever  yet  built. 

The  bridge  spans  a  chasm  of  859  feet  from  bluff  to  bluff. 
The  excavations  were  carried  down  until  solid  rock  was  reached, 
when  blocks  of  "  Beton  Coignet,"  20  feet  wide,  45  feet  long  and 


NIAGARA  FALLS.  71 

10  feet  thick,  were  put  in.  These  form  one  single  mass,  capable  of 
withstanding  a  pressure  almost  equal  to  that  of  the  best  Quincy 
granite,  and  so  distribute  the  load  of  1,600  tons  that  comes  upon 
each  pair  of  steel  columns  as  to  produce  a  pressure  of  but  25 
pounds  per  square  inch  on  the  natural  formation  —  much  less 
than  a  fashionable  young  lady  brings  upon  the  heel  of  her  French 
boot  every  time  she  steps.  Upon  these  Beton  blocks,  four  in 
number,  was  built  masonry  of  the  most,  substantial  character, 
carried  up  50  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  water.  On  these  foun- 
dations the  steel  towers  rest,  rising  130  feet  and  5  inches  above 
the  masonry,  and  upon  these  are  set  steel  superstructures.  The 
total  weight  resting  on  each  of  the  towers,  under  a  maximum 
strain,  is,  in  round  numbers,  3,200  tons.  The  total  uplifting  force 
that  can  be  exerted  on  each  of  the  shore  arms  of  the  canti-lever  is 
340  tons,  and  the  weight  of  each  shore  anchorage  is  800  tons.  It 
will  be  seen  that  every  single  piece  of  material  is  five  times  as 
strong  as  it  actually  need  be,  so  that  the  bridge  can  be  strained 
to  only  one-fifth  of  its  ultimate  strength.  Each  ingot  of  steel 
was  submitted  to  a  chemical  analysis,  and  the  samples  to  a 
mechanical  test.  The  standard  of  excellence  adopted  was  more 
severe  and  exacting  than  usual,  and  all  steel  that  failed  to  meet 
the  requirements  was  rejected.  The  contractors  therefore  say: 
"This  bridge,  in  material  and  workmanship,  has  no  equal." 
The  steel,  which  passed  inspection  at  the  mill,  was  rolled  into  the 
required  shapes  and  sent  to  the  Central  Bridge  Shops,  where, 
under  the  direction  of  skilled  men,  it  was  fashioned  and  put 
together  in  pieces,  from  the  small  bolts,  weighing  but  a  pound,  to 
the  largest  posts,  weighing  15  tons.  So  accurate  was  the  design 
and  workmanship  that  no  two  pieces  were  put  together  until 
placed  in  their  final  position  in  the  bridge,  yet  every  member 
filled  its  place  to  the  hundredth  part  of  an  inch.  Compensation 
for  expansion  and  contraction  is  provided  for  by  an  ingenious 
arrangement  between  the  ends  of  the  canti-lever  and  fixed  span, 
allowing  the  ends  to  move  freely  as  the  temperature  changes,  but 
at  the  same  time  preserving  perfect  rigidity  against  side  pressure 
from  the  wind.  There  are  no  guys  for  this  purpose,  as  in  the 
suspension  bridge,  but  the  structure  is  complete  within  itself. 
Neither  will  there  be  any  of  that  wave  motion  noticed  on  a 
suspension  bridge  as  a  train  moves  over  it. 


72 


NIAGARA   FALLS. 


After  its  completion,  the  Canti-Lever  Bridge  was  subjected  to  the 
rigorous  practical  test  of  20  engines  and  24  heavily  loaded  gravel 
cars,  so  arranged  as  to  bring  the  severest  possible  strain  upon  the 
central  truss  span  and  the  river  ends  of  the  canti-lever  arms.  The 
slight  deflection  of  6  inches  was  only  temporary,  and  the  great 
triumph  of  this  wonderful  work  was  assured  and  proven.  There 
is,  probably,  not  a  safer  or  stronger  bridge  in  the  world  to-day. 


IHD€X. 


PAGE 

Descriptive 5 

The  Name  Niagara 9 

Historical 10 

Geological 12 

First  Visited  by  White  Men 14 

The  Niagara  River 16 

Niagara  Falls \  20 

Village  of  Niagara  Falls   23 

Admission  Fees  and  Tolls 28 

Rates  of  Fare 29 

Points  of  Interest  at  Niagara  Falls 33 

Goat  Island S3       Whirlpool,  Canada  Side 52 

Prospect  Park 47       Whirlpool  Rapids  Park 53 

New  Suspension  Bridge 49       Old  Suspension  Bridge 54 

Table  Rock 51        Whirlpool  Rapids 54 

Burning  Spring 52        Whirlpool 56 

Neighboring  Points  of  Interest 59 

AMERICAN   SIDE. 

Buffalo 59       Schlosser 60 

Black  Rock 59       Old  Chimney 61 

Grand  Island 59       Devil's  Hole 61 

Tonawanda 60       Indian  Reservation 61. 

La  Salle 60       Lewiston 62 

Burnt  Ship  Bay 60       Fort  Niagara 62 

CANADIAN    SIDE. 

Fort  Erie 63  Queenston  Heights 63 

Navy  Island 63  Brock's  Monument 63 

Chippewa 63  Niagara  Village  64 

Lundy's  Lane 63  Fort  George 64 

Drurnmondville 63  Welland  Canal 64 


Addenda 64 

Suggestions  to  ViBitors 65 

The  Canti-Lever  Bridge 69 

73 


THE  EXECUTIONER'S  REVENGE.    Translated  from  the  French 
oi  Lkonce  Ferhet.    12mo,  cloth.  313  pages.    Price,  $1.00. 

A  story  of  the  French  Revolution,  in  which  the  wild  passions  of 
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end.  The  dialogue  is  crisp  and  bright,  the  situations  dramatic,  and  the  whole  story  exceed- 
ingly well  told.—  Toledo  Blade. 

A  fine  piece  of  typographical  work,  and  very  creditable  to  the  well-known  house  from 
which  it  is  issued.  The  story  is  more  dignified  than  the  usual  run  of  French  stories. — 
Indianapolis  Daily  Journal. 

WAS  IT  A  MURDER  ?  or  Who  is  the  Heir  ?    From  the  French 
of  Fortune  du  Boisgobey.      12mo,  cloth,  341  pages.    Price,  $1.00. 

A  highly  entertaining  romance,  relating  to  French  provincial  life 
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sustained  from  the  opening  to  the  close  of  the  volume. 

OVERLAND  GUIDE,  from  the  Missouri  River  to  the  Pacific 

Ocean.     Illustrated.    Chas.  8.  Gleed,  Editor.     12mo,  245  pagea. 
Price,  $1.00  in  cloth,  50  cents  in  paper. 

Something  quite  different  from  the  ordinary  guide-book  species. 
There  is  nothing  ephemeral  about  it.  It  was  not  made  to  order,  nor  is  it 
the  result  of  an  ill-digested  cram  at  the  libraries.  It  tells  all  about  places 
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aflbrd  to  be  without  it.— Kansas  City  Journal. 

*  *  *  It  is  safe  to  say  that  no  question  asked  by  the  multitudinous  western  tourists 
and  immigrants  remains  unanswered  by  the  editor  of  the  Overland  Guide.  *  *  *  The 
numerous  and  fine  illustrations  with  which  the  Overland  Guide  is  embellished  make  it  a 
handsome  as  well  as  a  useful  addition  to  any  library.— The  Capital,  Topeka,  Kans. 

*  *  *  The  book  forms,  in  fact,  a  veritable  encyclopedia  of  information  upon  the 
population,  agriculture,  topography,  geography,  mineralogy,  scenery  and  antiquities  of 
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*  *  *  It  is  a  publication  of  great  value  to  the  thousands  who  for  various  reasons 
are  interested  in  the  region  described.— Chicago  Times. 

*  *  *  It  gives  a  vast  amount  of  useful  and  practical  information  ne\er  before 
compiled.    *    *    The  illustrations  a^e  very  fine.— Detroit  Free  Press. 


THE  BLACK  SORCERESS;    a  Tale  of  the  Peasants'  War. 

,    Adapted  from  the  French  of  Alfked  de  Brehat.      Illustrated. 
12mo,  cloth,  300  pages.    Price,  $1.00. 

An  old  German  romance,  carrying  one  back  to  feudal  and  chivalric 
times.  Deeply  interesting  from  first  to  last,  and  sufficiently  so  at  times 
to  make  the  flesh  creep  and  the  heart  quiver  at  the  recital  of  the  brutal 
practices,  hideous  crimes  and  besotted  superstitions  of  that  benighted 
epoch.  The  story  is  full  of  astounding  mysteries,  hellish  incantations  and 
diabolical  plots. 

A  good,  old  fashioned,  romantic  story,  from  the  French  of  Alfred  de  Brehat  by  A.  D.  H. 
The  scene  is  laid  in  Germany  at  the  period  of  the  Peasants'  War,  in  the  first  half  of  the 
sixteenth  century.  It  deals  with  those  ever  popular  and  twin  themes,  love  and  war. 
Sarah,  the  mysterious  masked  sorceress,  dwells  in  the  midst  of  an  almost  inaccessible 
ewamp,  and  exerts  a  great  influence  over  the  superstitious  peasants.  She  proves  to  be  not 
an  old  hag,  but  the  beautiful  Zilda,  for  whom  the  hero,  Count  Louis,  had  once  a  passing 
fancy,  and  who  in  jealous  rage  swears  vengeance  upon  him  and  his  betrothed.  There  is 
plenty  of  incident,  and  in  the  end  the  good  are  made  happy  and  the  evil  are  punished. 
The  book  is  fairly  well  illustrated  and  the  letter-press  and  paper  are  unusually  good. — 
New  York  Herald. 

It  is  an  old  fashioned,  historical  novel.  The  scene  is  laid  in  Germany,  and  the  tale  is 
one  of  love,  passion,  patriotism,  war,  superstition,  and  magic.  It  is  wierd  and  exciting. 
The  characters  are  mostly  lovable,  and  even  the  Sorceress  in  her  jealous  fury  inspires 
pity.— Boston  Globe. 

There  is  no  lack  of  skill  in  the  vividly  painted  characters,  or  the  plot  and  counter- 
plot.— Chicago  Inter  Ocean. 

FUN  BETTER  THAN  PHYSIC.  By  W.  W.  Hall,  M.  D.  12mo, 
cloth,  334  pages.  Price,  $1.00. 
Maxims  and  precepts  which  he  who  runs  may  read,  mark  and  inwardly 
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people  will  soon  "throw  physic  to  the  dogs." 

*  *  *  The  author  believes  that  good  food,  pure  air  and  a  cheerful  disposition  are 
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*  *  *  The  book  is  one  which  can  be  read  at  any  time  with  profit,  and  on  every 
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important  subjects,  more  or  less  valuable.—  St.  Paul  Daily  Dispatch. 

SUPPRESSED    SENSATIONS;    or   Leaves   from  the    Note- 

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Thirteen  sketches  of  absorbing  interest— truths  that  are  indeed  stranger 

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papers.— C hi cago  Tribune. 

They  are  all  of  absorbing  interest.—  Chicago  Times. 

For  obviona  reasons  some  changes  have  been  made  in  names  and  locations,  but  the 
tales  are  what  they  purport  to  be— leaves  from  the  note-book  of  a  reporter.— Evening' 
Journal. 


FEDORA  ;  or  the  Tragedy  in  the  Rue  de  la  Pais.    Translated 
from  the  French  of  Adolphe  BJclot.     Illustrated.     12mo,   cloth, 

*     303  pages. 

A  most  original,  powerful  and  exciting  French  romance.  Every 
character  must  have  had  its  living  model.  For  high  dramatic  action,  intense 
and  thrilling  interest  and  appalling  climax,  absolutely  unsurpassed  in 
modern  fiction. 

It  is  a  work  which  places  its  author  at  once  among  the  most  brilliant  and  powerful 
novelists  of  his  time— Albany  Sunday  Press. 

Since  the  appearance  of  "  Les  Miserables,"  nothing  of  French  authorship  has  elicited 
such  unstinted  praise.— Newark  (N.  J.)  Call. 

"Fedora"  will  be  read  because  unregenerate  human  nature  is  bad.  It  is  a  French 
detective  story,  dealing,  as  all  such  stories  do,  with  a  mysterious  murder,  a  sharp  detect- 
ive, an  abandoned  woman,  and  with  intrigues,  revelations  and  vioiont  deaths.— Hart- 
ford Evening  Post. 

The  story  is  highly  exciting,  and  contains  numerous  love  scenes  peculiar  to  Paris. 
There  is  a  strength  of  diction  and  brilliancy  of  rhetoric  peculiar  to  the  eminent  French 
novelists.—  Newark  Daily  Journal. 

As  a  detective  story  "Fedora"  deserves  to  rank  with  Poe's  "  Murder  of  Marie  Roget," 
and  Miss  Harriet  Prescott  Spofford's  "In  a  Cellar."  It  fully  equals  them  in  intricacy  of 
plot  and  ingenuity  of  execution.— Chicago  Tribunt. 

The  dramatization  of  "  Fedora  "  has  created  a  furore  in  Paris,  and  is  regarded  as  one  of 
the  gems  of  Madame  Bernhardfs  repertoire.  It  is  thoroughly  French,  and  those  who 
desire  to  read  of  crime  and  debauchery  will  find  an  abundant  feast  in  "  Fedora."—  Chicago 
Inter  Ocean. 

The  plot  is  remarkable  in  its  dramatic  handling,  points  of  suspense,  and  in  the  art  of 
baffling  the  reader.  An  inside  view  of  the  fast  life  in  Paris,  the  courts  of  justice  and  the 
hidden  ways  of  criminals,  treated  boldly  and  in  full  detail,  but  without  coarseness  or 
exaggeration.— Boston  Globe. 

WON  AT  WEST  POINT;    a  Romance  on  the  Hudson.     By 

"Fush."    12mo,  cloth,  300  pages.     Price,  $1.25 

A  charming  American  story,  marked  by  brilliancy  of  style,  keenness 
of  satire,  frolicsome  wit  and  mirth-provoking  humor.  Irreproachable 
in  tone,  suitable  for  parlor  or  boudoir,  and  just  the  story  to  banish  the 
dreary  monotony  of  "  riding  on  the  rail." 

The  valley  of  the  Hudson  has  been  the  scene  of  many  a  song  and  story,  of  legend  and 
Tomance.  This  book  makes  a  contribution,  and  a  charming  one,  to  the  list.  *  *  *  The 
tale  is  told  with  great  spirit,  graphic  coloring  and  considerable  humor.  The  interest  is 
maintained  to  the  last.—  Albany  Sunday  Express. 

This  latest  addition  to  native  fiction  literature  is  a  witty,  entertaining  romance  of  the 
Hudson,  with  the  great  Military  Academy  as  its  turning  point.  *  *  *  "  Won  at  West 
Point "  is  a  strong  novel,  and  it  can  but  please  all  classes  of  readers.  It  will  be  particularly 
interesting  to  those  who  have  had  experience  at  the  Point.  The  novel  is  elegantly  printed 
and  handsomely  bound.— Troy  {N.  Y.)  Evening  Standard. 

A  hilarious  sketch  of  the  social  life  of  cadets  at  West  Point.  *  *  *  These  chronicles 
of  the  cadets  are  jolly  and  life-like.—  Cincinnati  Commercial-Gazette. 

A  lively  story,  based  on  gay  incidents  at  the  National  Academy,  written  by  a  graduate 
of  the  class  of  '81.  *  *  *  A  pleasing  insight  is  given  to  the  interior  of  the  School,  with 
its  workings,  customs,  jokes  and  impositions.  The  book  will  be  read  with  interest  by  a 
large  class  of  readers.— Indianapolis  Daily  Journal. 

J^T3  Mailed,  on  receipt  of  price,  by 

RAND,  McNALLY  &  CO.,  Publishers, 

148,  150,  152  and  154  Monroe  St.,  Chicago. 


Rand,  McNally  &  co/s 

POCKET    MAPS 

—  OF  — 

Foreign  Countries. 

Afghanistan,  see  Persia $ 

Africa,  mounted  on  rollers,  65x58  inches 17  50 

Africa,  in  three  sheets,  two  being  21x14  inches,  and  one  14x11  inches,  and 

showing  plan  8  of  cities  of  Algiers  and  Tunis 75 

Alaska,  14x11  inches.     Not  kept  in  stock 

Asia,  mounted  on  rollers,  65x58  inches 17  50 

Asia,  21  xl4  inches.     Not  kept  in  stock 

Australia  and  New  Zealand,  with  plans  of  Sydney  and  Port  Jackson,  21x14  in.        50 

Austro-Hungarian  Monarchy,  with  plan  of  Vienna,  21xl4inches 50 

Belgium  and  The  Netherlands,  with  plan  of  Brussels,  21x14  inches 50 

BriFish  America  (Dominion  of  Canada),  21  x  14  inches.    Not  kept  in  stock  .. 

Central  America,  14x11  inches 50 

China,  21  x  14  inches 50 

Cuba.  21xl4inches 50 

Denmark,  with  North  portion  of  the  German  Empire,  comprising  Schleswig, 

Uolstein  and  Lauenburg,  11  x  14  inches 50 

England  and  Wales,  21  x  14  inches,  with  Index  of  cities,  towns,  etc 75 

Europe,  21x14  inches 50 

Europe,  mounted  on  rollers,  65  x  58  inches 17  50 

France,  21  xl4  inches,  with  plan  of  Paris,  and  Index  to  cities,  towns,  etc 75 

Germany,  in  two  sheets.  21  x  14  inches  each,  with  Index  to  cities,  towns,  etc.,    1  00 

Greece,  and  the  Ionian  Islands,  21x14  inches 50 

India.  Indo-China  and  Further  India,  with  plans  of  Calcutta  and  Bombay, 

21xl4inches 50 

Ireland,  21  x  14  inches,  with  Index  to  cities,  towns,  etc 75 

Italy,  21  x  14  inches 50 

Japan,  in  two  sheets,  21  x  14  inches  each 1  00 

Mexico.  21x14  inches 50 

Netherlands,  see  Belgium .... 

New  Zealand,  see  Australia I... 

North  America,  mounted  on  rollers,  65x58  inches 17  50 

North  America,  showing  the  West  India  Islands  and  Central  America,  21  xl4 

inches.    Not  kept  in  stock. 

Palestine,  with  plans  showing  Environs  of  Jerusalem,  journeyings  of  Christ, 

and  sketch  showing  divisions  into  tribes.    21  xl4  inches 50 

Persia  and  Afghanistan,  14x11  inches 50 

Portugal,  see  Spain 

Russia  (European),  21  xl4  inches 50 

Scotland,  21  x  14  inches,  with  Index  to  cities,  towns,  etc 75 

South  America,  mounted  on  rollers.  65  x  53  inches 17  50 

South  America,  in  two  sheets,  21  x  14  inches,  showing  plans  of  Bay  of  Rio  de 

%•  Janeiro,  Isthmus  of  Panama  and  City  of  Buenos  Ayres 75 

Spain  and  Portugal,  with  plans  of  Madrid  and  Lisbon,  21  x  14  inches 50 

Sweden  and  Norwav.  21x14  inches 50 

Switzerland,  21  x  14_  inches 50 

Turkey  in  Asia  (Asia  Minor),  and  Transcaucasia,  21x14  inches  ... 50 

Turkey  in  Europe,  21x14  inches 50 

World,  on  Mercator's  Projection,  21x14  inches 50 

All  of  above  pocket  Maps  are  neatly  bound  in  cloth  cases. 

We  make  the  production  of  maps  a  specialty,  and  keep  the  largest  stock  of  map 
plates  in  the  country.  Are  prepared  to  furnish  Authors  and  Publishers  with  maps 
to  illustrate  Books  of  Travel  and  Historical  and  Educational  Works  at  a  merely 
nominal  charge  over  the  cost  of  paper  and  printing. 

Maps  which  require  to  be  specially  prepared,  are  compiled,  engraved  and  printed 
with  the  utmost  care  and  accuracy. 

A  full  line  of  Maps  of  the  States  and  Territories  in  U.S.  and  of  Foreign  countries, 
on  a  large  scale:  also,  of  Modern  Geographical,  Classical,  Political,  Physical, 
Astronomical,  Biblical,  Anatomical  and  Biological  Atlases,  Globes  and  Map  Racks, 
kept  in  stock,   f 

RAND,  McNALLY  &  CO.,  Publishers,  Chicago. 


RAND,  McNALLY  &  CO.'S 

SERIES    OE 

INDEXED  POCKET  MAPS 

Sent  by  mail,  postpaid,  in  Flexible  Covers,  upon  receipt  of  fol- 
lowing prices  (currency  or  postage  stamps) : 


Alabama. .  .'IT?. "7*i§  .25 

*  Alaska  and  adjoining  Territory, 

36  x  26  inches 1 .00 

Arizona  Territory 25 

Arkansas 25 

British  Columbia 50 

California,  County  Map  of 25 

California,  large  County  Map  of  .1.00 
♦California,  large  County  Map  of..     .75 

Colorado,  Township 25, 

♦Colorado,  Sectional 75* 

♦Colorado,    Geological    and   Min- 

eralogical 2.00, 

Connecticut 25' 

Dakota  Territory 25' 

Delaware  and  Maryland,  in  one 

book 25 

Florida 25 

Georgia 25 

Idaho  Territory 25 

Illinois 25 

Indiana 25 

Indian   Territory  and   Texas,  in 

one  book 25 

*  Indian  Territory,  34  x  26  inches ...     .50 

Iowa 25 

Kansas 25 

Kansas,  Sectional 1.00 

Kentucky 25 

Louisiana 25 

Maine 25 

Manitoba,  Sectional 50 

♦Manitoba,  Sectional 25 

Maryland  and  Delaware,   in  one 

book 25 

Massachusetts 25 

Michigan 25 

Minnesota 25 

Mississippi 25 

♦Mississippi,     Sectional,     41  x  58 

inches 1.25 

Missouri 25 

Montana  Territory 25 

♦Montana  Territory,  44x28  inches  1.25 

Nebraska 25 

Nevada 25 

New  Hampshire 25 

New  Jersey 25 

New  Mexico  Territory 25 


*New     Mexico     Territory,    large 

Township  Map  of $1 .00 

New  York,  County  Map  of 25 

New  York,  County  and  Township 

Map  of 1.00 

*New  York,  County  and  Township 

Map  of 75 

North  Carolina 25 

Nova  Scotia,  New  Brunswick  and 

Prince  Edward  Island 50 

*Nova  Scotia,  New  Brunswick  and 

Prince  Edward  Islind 25 

Ohio,  County 25 

Ohio,  Sectional 50 

Ontario,  Province  of,  Canada 50 

*Ontario,  Province  of,  Canada 25 

Oregon 25 

Pennsylvania,  County 25 

Pennsylvania,  County  and  Town- 
ship, 40  x  25  inches 1 .00 

*Pennsylvania.  County  and  Town- 
ship, 40  x  25  inches 75 

Quebec,  Province  of,  Canada 50 

*Quebec,  Province  of,  Canada 25 

Rhodelsland 25 

South  Carolina 25 

Tennessee 25 

♦Tennessee,  large  County  Map  of..  1.25 
Texas   and   Indian  Territory,  in 

one  book 25 

Texas,  large  County  Map  of 1 .00 

*Texas.  large  County  Map  of 75 

*United  States,  Official  R.  R.  Map 

of ,  44  x  28  inches 50 

*United  States, « County  Map    of, 

46x28  inches 75 

♦United  States,  New  Commercial 

County  Map  of ,  58  x  41  inches. .  1.50 
♦United  States,  dissected,  on  cloth, 

in  leather  case 2 .  50 

Utah  Territory 25 

Vermont 25 

Virginia 25 

Washington  Territory .25 

♦West  Virginia,  Township,  44  x  36 

inches 1 .25 

West  Virginia 25 

Wisconsin 25 

Wyoming  Territory 25 


*  Without  Index. 


RA1TX5,  acoHr<au/7  &  co., 

MAP   PUBLISHERS, 

148,  150,  152  &  154  Monroe  Street,  Chicago. 


CSB  LIBRARY 


THE 


NIAGARA  FALLS  AND 
SUSPENSION  BRIDGE 

Street  Railway 


BOT^i^  COMPANY, 


Running  between  Prospect  Park,  Goat  Island,  Cantilever  and  Suspension 
Bridges,  WHIRLPOOL  RAPIDS  and  other  Points  of  Interest. 

Fare,   5  Cents. 

Tickets  may  be  obtained  from  tbe  Conductor,  or  at  the  Company's  Waiting  Kooms,  oppo- 
site Prospect  Park  Entrance,  and  at  Suspension  Bridge,  good  for  one  passage  over 
this1  line,    including    entrance    to    Whirlpool  Rapids  and    Double    Elevator, 

for 40cts.,  regular  price  55cts. 

One  passage,  including  ticket  over  Old  Suspension  Bridge  and  Whirlpool  Rapids, 

Canada"  side,  and  return,  for 55cts.,  regular  price  85cts. 

One  passage,  including  ticket  over  Old  Suspension  Bridge  and  return,  for 

SOcts.,  regular  price  30cts. 
Special  Rates  made  to  Excursion  Parties,  etc.    Address 

A.  SCHOELLKOPF,  Treasurer, 

NIAGARA  FALLS.  N.  T. 

Cars   Run   every   Ten    Minutes. 


MAPS  AND  GUIDES 

TO  ALL  OF  THE 

(Principal   Cities 

AND 

EVERY  COUNTRY  IN  THE  WORLD. 


Globes,  Map  Racks,  Spring  Map  Rollers,  German  Maps,  Wall  and 
Pocket  Maps,  Historical  Maps,  Classical,  Biblical,  jHistorical,  Anatomi- 
cal, Astronomical,  Physical  and  General  Atlases  of  all  kinds  kept  in 
stock.     Address 

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Map  Publishers  and  Engravers, 

148  to  154  Monroe  Street,  Chicago. 
323  8«04D*«  y 


iD  AIC 


wyt 


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405  Hilgard  Avenue,  Los  Angeles,  CA  90024-1388 

Return  this  material  to  the  library 

from  which  it  was  borrowed. 


REC'DID 


NIAGARA  FALLS  MINERAL  SPRINGS 


COMPANY'S 


Mineral  Springs  Hole 

AND 

Health   Resort, 


SUSPENSION  BRIDGE,  N.  Y. 


THIS  ELEGANT  HOTEL,  together  with  ample  bathing  accommodations,  has  ju 
been  refitted  throughout,  and  is  complete  in  CTery  department.  The houBe  stands  i 
the  midst  of  a  beautiful  Park,  on  ihe  high  lands  of  \'iag;.:a,  opposite  the  worl 

famed  Whirlpool  Rapids,  and  only  a  few  moments  walk  $bm  the  wonderful  Cant] 
lever  and  Suspension  Bridges.     While  in  full  view  of  the  Fallsut  is  at  sufficient  disian 
to  escape  the  unpleasant   humidity  occasioned  by  the  spray.  V-ift^ heated  bysteamfttj 
lighted  with  gas  ;  has  new  and  modern  toilets  on  every  floor,  oh'CJB|p  bells  in  each  rooi| 
connecting  with  the  office^und  a  new  passenger  elevator  wt  n  improvemen 

now  in  operation.  All  of  the  rooms  have  a  frontage  ;  they  are  light -And  airy,  single  an 
in  suites,  well  furnished,  spring  beds  and  hair  mattresses,  elegant  1'arlois,  Office,  Readin 
Room,  Billiard  Hall  and  Bar  in  keeping,  excellent  cuisine  which  will  be  ever  varied  wit 
the  seasons.    Splendid  fishing  grounds  within  a  short  distance  from  the  hotel. 

The    SANITARIUM     Department    will    Comprise     Turkish,    Russian,     Shower 
Plunge,   Vapor  and   Electro-Thermal   Baths,    and   the   Systematic  Method 
Massage.    The  waters  of  our  mineral  springs,  together  with  the  different  kinds  of  bath 
carefully  selected  remedial,  surgical  and  mechanical  agencies.  cure'^Rheuniatisin,  Oou 
Sciatica,  Neuralgia,   Catarrh,    Dyspepsia,   Liver   Affections,    I  the  Kidneys  and 

Urinary  Organs,   Piles,  Scrofula,  Skin  and  all  Blood  Diseases.    Diseases  of  AVomi 
permanently  cured.     We  guarantee  to  cure  Rupture,  Piles,  Stricture, 

and  Impotency.  Arrangements  have  been  perfected  by  which  we  ai 
successfully  treat  invalids  by  correspondence.  If  you,  or  any  of  your  friends 
with  any  form  of  dis- ase,  and  are  unable  to  come'* to  us,  write  your  nann 
County  and  State  distinctly,  enclose  a  2-cent  stamp  to  insure  prompt  answ 
all  of  your  symptoms  in  your  own  language,  and  we  will  examine  your  cast 
our  medical  opinion  free  of  charge.    All  correspondence  will  be  strictly  conf 


HOTEL  OPEN  THE  YEAR  ROUND. 

Charges  moderate,  with  special  rates  to  families  and  permanent  guests. 


Write 


Circulars.     Address 

NIAGARA  FALLS  MINERAL  SPRINGS  CO. 

Or.     DR.    FRANK    B.    SMITH, 

Resident   Physician, 

Suspension   Bridge,    N 


